Video calls made via a remote care tablet bring joy and connection to the daily lives of home care clients and their loved ones.
In Helsinki, approximately 650 home care clients have access to a remote care tablet delivered to their homes, through which they can video-call their designated care worker. This enables the care worker to be present in the client’s everyday life even between home visits, to monitor their wellbeing and to help with tasks such as taking medication or checking blood sugar levels. The device is designed to be as easy to use as possible, and it also allows the client to contact their designated care worker themselves, if necessary.
Since autumn 2025, it has been possible to activate a family subscription feature on the remote care tablet, allowing the home care client’s loved ones to make free video calls directly to the device. The client decides who can be added to the family subscription feature. The video calls make it possible to see, hear and catch up with loved ones, even from a distance.
Heidi calls her mother, Helena, via the family subscription feature whenever she is unable to visit her. They learnt how to use the tablet and tested the video calls for the first time together at Helena’s home. Once they got the hang of it, using the device and the app has been easy.
To make things clearer, the tablet is always kept in the same, easily visible place. Regular contact also makes it easier to use the service. That is why Heidi recommends making daily or weekly video calls part of your routine.
“A video call is an interactive way of keeping in touch, and being able to see the other person adds a great deal of value compared to a normal phone call. It has also been a practical help in many day-to-day situations”, says Heidi.
I highly recommend the family subscription feature as a way of keeping in touch with your loved ones.
Seija, who lives in the United States, keeps in touch with her father Raimo, who lives in Finland, via the family subscription feature. They are in contact every day. The service makes it easy to stay in touch and allows them to do things like hold shared exercise sessions via video call, despite living so far apart.
“I’m really grateful for this chance to stay in touch with my dad. He doesn’t use a phone any more, but he always answers when I call via the family subscription feature,” says Seija.
Setting up the family subscription feature is quick, and there are no additional costs involved in activating it. Palvelukeskus Helsinki is responsible for the devices and providing the remote service. Home care clients interested in the service can ask their designated home care worker for further information, or contact Palvelukeskus Helsinki’s advisory service by calling the number +358 9 310 70200.