Forms of family care for the elderly
Short-term family care in a family home
Care can be arranged as intermittent family care. The length of the care periods varies, but the idea is that the elderly person lives in the family carer's home 24 hours a day for the duration of the period. Short-term family care is provided for an elderly person living in their own home, for example during their caregiver’s leave or for other discretionary reasons.
Short-term family care can provide a safe and functional daily life for older people, who benefit from the constant presence of a family caregiver and a home-like environment. The aim of short-term family care is to support the elderly client to live at home. Short-term family care can be arranged in advance or be based on a sudden need.
Part-time family care
Part-time family care is regular care that is arranged based on the needs of the caregiver, for example. Family care supports the elderly person’s ability to live at home and it can e.g. provide activities to replace day activities. You would provide family care for e.g. 3, 6 or 12 hours at a time in your own home or in the home of the person you care for.
As a part-time family caregiver, you don't necessarily need to establish your own family home: as an itinerant family caregiver, you visit clients' homes and provide the service in their home environment.
Contact details
Family Care Social Instructor Riikka Halonen.
- Tel. +358 (0)9 310 62317(Link starts a phone call)
- sotepe.ikaantyneiden.perhehoito@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
Becoming a family caregiver
The majority of our customers speak Finnish. You will serve customers in Finnish or Swedish, depending on their mother tongue. Please note that our forms, interviews and training are in Finnish.
If you are interested in becoming a family caregiver, you will need to attend a pre-training course. The training does not oblige you to start working as a family caregiver.
It will give you information about family care and being a family caregiver. We will also assess your and your family's capabilities for providing family care. If you wish to become a full-time family caregiver, we recommend that both you and your spouse attend a pre-training course.
Completing the pre-training does not automatically mean that you must start in the role of a family caregiver. You do not need to have an education in the social services or healthcare sector to take part in the pre-training.
Helsinki organises pre-training courses for people wishing to become family caregivers for older people. We will announce upcoming training events in the News section on the Finnish version of this website. The training courses are in Finnish.
Once you have completed the pre-training, please contact the social instructor of family care for the elderly by phone or email. After contacting the social instructor, you can fill in an application to become a family caregiver for the elderly. The social instructor will give you guidance on how to fill in the form.
After filling in the application form, you and your spouse (if applicable) will have an initial interview either face-to-face or by telephone. During this interview, you will receive additional material on family care for the elderly. The form and the interview are in Finnish.
During the application process, the personnel of family care services will visit your home to check that it is suitable for family care.
If you are of retirement age, you must submit a medical certificate confirming your state of health and work ability to the worker responsible for family care. If necessary, a medical certificate may also be requested from you during the term of your current contract.
For more information and advice on family care for the elderly, please contact a social instructor of family care.
If you want to offer your home to elderly clients in need of care as part of your role as a family caregiver, your home must be suitable for this purpose. We will check your home's suitability as a family home before establishing the contractual relationship.
Home facilities
Based on law, “a family home must be suitable for the care provided in terms of its structure, facilities, equipment, healthiness and other conditions” (263/2015, section 5). In practice, this means that the potential family home must be prepared for the possible mobility limitations of the elderly person and their need for privacy.
It would be good for the common areas, bathroom and kitchen of your home to be accessible and spacious enough.
Atmosphere at home
In addition to the suitable settings, a home-like environment is built on the person being cared for being treated as an equal member of the family, as anyone else living in the home. It is important that the interactions at the family home are respectful and that the family care client has a say in the day-to-day decision-making.
Commission contract
As a family caregiver, you are not employed by the City of Helsinki. Instead, you sign a commission contract with the City. In the commission contract, we agree with you on terms such as the duration of the care period, your fees and the compensation for expenses.
You will be paid a fee and compensation for expenses. The fee is compensation for the care provided, and the compensation for expenses covers the costs of the client’s stay with you.
The commission contract is binding on both parties. Neither contract party can unilaterally change what is agreed. If you need to make changes to your contract, please contact the client advisor with whom you signed the contract.
Fees and compensation for expenses
Family caregivers are paid a compensation for expenses to cover the costs incurred as a result of the client’s housing and living, care and management of their affairs. The family caregiver is not liable to provide maintenance to the person in family care.
We will automatically receive your tax card from the Tax Administration. Please check that you have selected the tax card for family caregivers’ fees and compensation for expenses in the MyTax service. This tax card is not the same as the tax card meant for paid employment.
In urgent situations, you can also submit your tax card via e-services or send it to palkkamateriaali@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program).
More information on the taxation of family caregivers is available on the Tax Administration's website. The materials are in Finnish.
Family caregivers’ taxation – detailed instructions (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
The fees for short-term and part-time family care are determined by your qualifications and by the level of your client's care needs.
If the client’s treatment and care is provided in your home, you will be paid a compensation for expenses.
If you are a visiting family caregiver, you may be entitled to a kilometre allowance, i.e. compensation for the travel costs incurred by commuting to the client’s home and other transitions.
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Short-term family care per day of care
For a caregiver without social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1: EUR 138.04
- Client’s care classification 2: EUR 125.66
- Client’s care classification 3: EUR 104.71
For a caregiver with a social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1: EUR 172.56
- Client’s care classification 2: EUR 157.08
- Client’s care classification 3: EUR 130.89
Compensation for expenses for temporary care in a family home EUR 33.22.
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Part-time family care, 12 hours per session
For a caregiver without social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1: EUR 128.00
- Client’s care classification 2: EUR 106.81
- Client’s care classification 3: EUR 89.01
For a caregiver with a social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1: EUR 153.61
- Client’s care classification 2: EUR 128.17
- Client’s care classification 3: EUR 104.71
Compensation for expenses for 12-hour care period in a family home EUR 33.22 per session.
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Part-time family care, 6 hours per session
For a caregiver without social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1–3: EUR 73.21
For a caregiver with a social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1–3: EUR 83.67
Compensation for expenses for 6-hour care period in a family home EUR 16.61 per session.
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Part-time family care, 3 hours per session
For a caregiver without social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1–3: EUR 47.06
For a caregiver with a social services or healthcare qualification:
- Client’s care classification 1–3: EUR 52.29
Compensation for expenses for 3-hour care period in a family home 16.61 per session.