Applying for housing services for the elderly

If your health and functional capacity decline to the point where you can no longer live at home with the support of home care or other services arranged at home, you can apply for a place in communal housing or 24-hour housing in senior centres or service homes.

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Beginning the application process

If you have been assigned a designated worker from the city's services for the elderly, inform them that you wish to undergo a service needs assessment to apply for housing services for the elderly. Otherwise, contact Senior Info, where they will assist you with the application process. 

Call Senior Info tel +358 9 310 44556

Senior Info is open on weekdays from 9.00–15.00. You can also send an email seniori.info@hel.fi (do not include personal identification details in your message) or visit the Senior Info service point at Siltasaarenkatu 2, 00530 Helsinki. 

Find more contacts for Senior Info here

Criteria for granting housing services for the elderly

The criteria for granting 24-hour housing and communal housing differ. The criteria for the same type of housing apply equally to all city residents.

The decision is always based on an individual and comprehensive service needs assessment. We use the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI), a tool that measures health and functional capacity, as the basis for the assessment, supplemented by evaluations provided by the attending physician. 

You may be granted a place in communal housing if all of the following conditions are met:

  • Your functional capacity has declined, and you require increasing care and support due to age, illness, injury, or another similar reason.
  • You have previously used home care services, but home-delivered services, day activities, and your support network are no longer sufficient to meet your needs. However, you do not yet require 24-hour housing.
  • You are interested in living in communal housing.
  • You understand instructions, can primarily handle the application process yourself, and can cooperate with the care staff.
  • You are mainly able to move independently or with the support of one person at most.
  • You can manage nights independently with the support of pre-arranged monitoring visits and other safety arrangements.

Additionally, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

  • You feel unsafe, lonely, or your mental health has significantly deteriorated, affecting your ability to function.
  • You need ongoing, regular social interaction to support your daily life.
  • You require accessible housing, or there is another challenge with your current home.
  • You face difficulties related to your housing, such as struggling with housing costs. 

The criteria for granting 24-hour care and housing include:

  • The client has significant need for assistance with daily activities such as dressing, bathing, and medication management, along with a substantial or very high service need.
  • The client’s functional capacity has significantly declined due to physical, psychological, or cognitive reasons, and they require 24-hour care and supervision.
  • The client’s safety is repeatedly at risk due to wandering, hazardous situations, or mistreatment.
  • The client has recurrent, acute short-term care periods or hospital stays and requires continuous care.
  • The client has difficult-to-manage physical or mental symptoms, such as severe malnutrition, anxiety, depression, severe delusions, strong resistance to care, or behaviour that severely disrupts their surroundings.
  • The well-being of a family caregiver cannot be supported sufficiently through services that facilitate home care.

In Helsinki, 24-hour care is provided both as 24-hour service housing and long-term institutional care. Long-term institutional care is only available to clients who have medical justification for it or if institutional care is otherwise essential for ensuring their dignity and safety. 

Application process

  1. We assess your situation

    We’ll work with you and your loved ones to see if there’s anything we can do to support the option of you living in your own home. 

    Together, we will consider your need for care and treatment, your health and functional capacity, as well as the services you already have at your disposal and possible additional services. This phase is referred to as a comprehensive service needs assessment.
     

  2. Application begins

    If your service needs assessment determines that you need a place in communal housing or 24-hour care, we will initiate the application process together with you. Family members cannot apply on your behalf. 

    The home care team assigned to you can also start the application process if they are concerned about your ability to manage at home.

    A case management worker will visit you at home, and if necessary, meet with your family members to assess your situation. They will gather additional statements from your doctor and the care team responsible for your treatment. 

    We will also need details of your income and assets for an ARA assessment, which is conducted for all applicants. 

  3. We process your application 

    Based on the service needs assessment, we will determine what kind of support best suits your needs.

    We process applications submitted by clients even if the service needs assessment has determined that the criteria for granting a housing place are not met. 

  4. You receive a decision on your application

    You will receive a written decision regarding your application.

    It may be possible to continue living independently with the help of rehabilitation or by improving or increasing the services provided to you at home. 

    If you receive a positive decision on communal housing or 24-hour care, we will begin arranging a placement for you. We will consider your preference for the location of the housing unit as much as possible.

    You will receive a placement within three months from the beginning of the application process. 

Explore the topic

Options for 24-hour care
If your functional capacity declines to the point that you can no longer live at home with the support of home care or other services arranged at home, you can apply for 24-hour care.
Waiting times and client satisfaction
The time within which you must get access to non-urgent care and treatment is laid down in law. Measuring client experience provides us with information on the functionality of our services.
Purchased services and service providers
The Purchased Services for the Elderly Unit puts social services for Helsinki residents out to tender and purchases them from private service providers.