Rehabilitation for persons with heart disease

Rehabilitation for persons with heart disease is intended for adults aged 18 or over who have been diagnosed with heart disease. Rehabilitation is offered in the form of group rehabilitation. The group meets on the service provider’s premises.

The rehabilitation course is free of charge.

Who is the rehabilitation course for?

Rehabilitation for persons with heart disease is suited for adults aged 18 or over

• who have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and also meet one of the following criteria:
  • several risk factors for the exacerbation of their coronary heart disease
  • angina that limits their ability to function
  • previous bypass surgery
  • previous balloon angioplasty
• who have had heart valve surgery
• who have been diagnosed with heart failure, cardiomyopathy, cardiac sarcoidosis or some other rare or congenital heart disease
• who have completed the initial stage of their treatment and whose situation has stabilised to the extent that they are able to participate in group rehabilitation without needing constant assistance
• who have enough functional capacity to be able to move around on the service provider’s premises without needing constant assistance.

It is recommended that you have had a heart check-up done in the previous 6 months and that your state of health has been found to be such that it is possible for you to participate in rehabilitation.

Persons over 68 can apply to participate in this rehabilitation course if they also find it difficult to practise self-care or manage their condition.

Aim of rehabilitation

Rehabilitation will help you recover from your condition and regain agency. The aim of this rehabilitation course is to

• teach you ways to understand and manage the challenges and practical difficulties caused by your condition
• support your self-rehabilitation, which means rehabilitation you do yourself in your daily life
• give you more resources and better capabilities to manage your daily life and participate in society.

The rehabilitation course also offers you the opportunity to get support from your peers and share your experiences with others.

How rehabilitation works

Rehabilitation is offered in the form of group rehabilitation. The group meets on the service provider’s premises. Each rehabilitation course lasts for 15 days, and it is divided into 3 rehabilitation periods.

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). If you want to stay in a single room, you can ask the service provider if they have single rooms available. You have to pay the extra costs of staying in a single room yourself.

An adult family member or friend aged 18 or over can accompany you for 2 days during the rehabilitation course. They will usually stay in the same double room with you.

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 the rehabilitation course begins, between the rehabilitation periods and after you have completed all rehabilitation periods.

The rehabilitation course is offered separately in Finnish and Swedish. The course is offered in Finnish to Sámi-speaking clients. They can be assigned an interpreter if necessary.

The experts involved in your rehabilitation

The following experts will plan and manage your rehabilitation programme:

• a cardiologist or specialist in internal medicine who is well-versed in heart diseases
• a registered nurse or public health nurse
• a physiotherapist
• a psychologist
• a nutritional therapist.

Depending on your individual needs, other rehabilitation professionals and assisting personnel may also take part.

How to apply

You need a medical statement B (B-lausunto) or some other statement on your health issued by a doctor to apply for rehabilitation for persons with heart disease. For example, you can submit a copy of your medical history (sairauskertomus). The medical statement B or health statement must be dated within the past year.

The medical statement B 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 or health statement, do as follows:

1. 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 (in Finnish and Swedish only) search to look up rehabilitation service providers.
   • Save the completed application form on your device. Note that the application must be in PDF format.
2. Send the application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).

   • Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus (File an application). 
   • First select Sairastaminen ja kuntoutus (Sickness and rehabilitation). Then select Kuntoutus – tee hakemus (Rehabilitation – Submit an application). Finally, select Harkinnanvarainen kuntoutus (Discretionary rehabilitation).
   • If you send your application to Kela in OmaKela, you do not need to sign it.
3. 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 or the other statement on your health your doctor has issued to you as a supporting document with your application.
4. 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.

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.