Rehabilitation for persons of working age with dementia
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Rehabilitation for persons of working age with dementia is intended for persons under the age of 68 who have dementia. Rehabilitation is offered in the form of group rehabilitation. The group meets on the service provider’s premises. The customer participates in rehabilitation together with a friend or family member who is over the age of 18.
The rehabilitation course is free of charge.
Who is the rehabilitation course for?
Rehabilitation for persons of working age with dementia is meant for persons under the age of 68 who have been diagnosed with a mild or early-stage form of dementia. Forms of dementia include
- Alzheimer's disease
- vascular dementia
- Lewy body dementia
- Parkinson’s disease dementia
- frontotemporal dementia.
The rehabilitation course is suited to persons of working age with dementia who are able to
- participate in group rehabilitation and attend a guided programme for an average of 5 hours a day
- commit to goal-oriented rehabilitation and self-rehabilitation
- participate in rehabilitation together with a friend or family member who is over the age of 18.
This rehabilitation course is not suited for persons
- who need supervision or assistance with daily living
- whose dementia has progressed to a moderate or severe stage
- who tend to wander or become lost or who have delusions or hallucinations
- who need a foreign-language interpreter to communicate.
Aim of rehabilitation
This rehabilitation course will help you adapt to the changes and new reality brought on by your condition. The aim of rehabilitation is to
- secure and improve your capacity for work and study and your functional capacity
- support the self-treatment of your condition
- improve your life management skills and help you find ways to continue to live a full and independent life to the best extent possible despite your condition.
The rehabilitation course also offers you the opportunity to get support from your peers and share your experiences with others.
How rehabilitation works
The rehabilitation course will be held on the service provider’s premises. It lasts for 5 days. A family member or friend must accompany you for the entire duration of the rehabilitation course. You can stay overnight at the rehabilitation facility or travel there from home each day. The facility offers accommodation in two-person rooms (double rooms).
During the rehabilitation course, you will work in small groups, participate in group discussions and have one-on-one meetings with rehabilitation experts.
The rehabilitation needs and goals of each participant are taken into account.
The service provider will contact you before and after the rehabilitation course.
The rehabilitation course is offered in Finnish. If you speak Swedish or one of the Sámi languages, Kela will provide an interpreter for you.
The experts involved in your rehabilitation
The following experts will plan and manage your rehabilitation programme:
- a neurologist
- a registered nurse or public health nurse
- a psychologist
- a social worker, Bachelor of Social Sciences or rehabilitation instructor.
Other rehabilitation professionals may also contribute to your rehabilitation depending on your individual needs.
How to apply
If you want to apply for rehabilitation for persons of working age with dementia, you need a medical statement B (B-lausunto) or a medical statement BC (BC-lausunto) issued by a doctor, or some other statement on your health, such as a copy of your medical history (sairauskertomus). The medical statement or health statement must be dated within the past year.
The medical statement B, medical statement BC or health statement must state what condition you have that qualifies you for rehabilitation, how well you can function, what kind of rehabilitation is recommended for you and why.
After you get your medical statement B, medical statement BC or health statement, do as follows:
- Complete the application form for discretionary rehabilitation KU 132 (PDF, in Finnish).
- Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser, because some of the information may not be saved that way.
- Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
- Tell us in the application which service provider’s rehabilitation you want to participate in. The service provider you choose can be located anywhere in Finland. Use Kela’s service provider search to look up rehabilitation service providers (in Finnish and Swedish only).
- Save the completed application form on your device. Note that the application must be in PDF format.
- Send the application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).
- Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus tai ilmoita muutoksista (Submit an application or report changes). If you want to apply for rehabilitation on behalf of someone else, go to Asioi toisen henkilön puolesta (Act on behalf of another person). Read more about acting on behalf of another person.
- First select Sairastaminen ja kuntoutus (Sickness and rehabilitation). Then select Kuntoutus (Rehabilitation). Finally, select Harkinnanvarainen kuntoutus (Discretionary rehabilitation).
- If you send your application to Kela in OmaKela, you do not need to sign it.
- If you have supporting documents, send them via OmaKela after you have submitted your application. If they are paper documents, you can photograph them.
- Send us a copy of your medical statement B, medical statement BC or the other statement on your health your doctor has issued to you as a supporting document with your application.
- Visit OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. We will also send the decision notice to the rehabilitation service provider. This tells the service provider that Kela will pay for your rehabilitation, and the service provider will reserve a place for you on the rehabilitation course.
If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Save the form to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Apply for rehabilitation
Submit your application and supporting documents online.
Let us know if you cannot attend rehabilitation
Remember to tell Kela immediately if you cannot participate in the rehabilitation course. Let us know that you have to cancel by sending a message to us in the OmaKela e-service or by calling our customer service number for rehabilitation clients.
We recommend that you also contact the service provider to let them know you have to cancel.
Check if you can get rehabilitation allowance and travel cost reimbursements
Kela pays rehabilitation allowance to give you financial security during rehabilitation. Kela may also reimburse you for rehabilitation-related travel costs.