Rehabilitation for informal caregivers
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Rehabilitation for informal caregivers is intended for informal caregivers who take care of their child or teen with special needs or an adult family member or friend aged 18 or over. You can participate in the rehabilitation course alone or together with the adult whose caregiver you are. The informal caregiver does not need to have signed an agreement on informal care (omaishoitosopimus) to apply for this rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation course is free of charge.
Informal caregiver participates alone
This rehabilitation course is suited for informal caregivers
- who provide daily care and help to their child or teen with special needs or to an adult family member or friend aged 18 or over
- who are struggling with everyday life, or who no longer participate as actively as before in activities that are meaningful to them, or who are at risk of no longer having the energy to participate in such activities because of the workload that comes with being an informal caregiver
- who are showing symptoms of burnout that endanger their ability to continue as an informal caregiver
- who are able to function independently enough to manage in their daily life either with little or no assistance and who are able to participate in a guided rehabilitation programme for an average of 5 hours a day
- who are able to move about indoors with or without a mobility device
- who want to participate in a rehabilitation course that is offered both in person and online.
The aim of this rehabilitation course is to
- teach you ways to understand and manage the challenges and practical difficulties caused by being an informal caregiver
- 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.
The rehabilitation course is offered for the following target groups:
- informal caregivers who are caring for an adult family member or friend aged 18 or over
- informal caregivers who are caring for their child or teen who is under the age of 18 and has special needs.
The rehabilitation course is offered partially on the service provider’s premises and partially online.
During the rehabilitation course, you will, for example, 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, after the first rehabilitation period is over and after you have completed both rehabilitation periods.
The rehabilitation course is offered in Finnish. If you speak Swedish or one of the Sámi languages, Kela will provide an interpreter for you.
Rehabilitation offered on the service provider’s premises lasts for 10 days
The rehabilitation offered on the service provider’s premises is divided into 2 periods of 5 days. 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.
Remote rehabilitation offered between in-person rehabilitation periods
A 12-week period of remote rehabilitation is offered online between the 2 periods of in-person rehabilitation.
The online rehabilitation includes reading material, recordings and videos as well as various assignments and exercises. You can proceed with the online rehabilitation at your own pace and at a time suitable to you. A multidisciplinary team will monitor your progress and give you advice and feedback.
You can borrow a device from the service provider if you need one to participate in the remote rehabilitation. You do not need to have special computer skills to participate in remote rehabilitation.
Informal caregiver participates with the adult whose caregiver they are
This rehabilitation course is suited for informal caregivers
- who provide daily care and help to an adult family member or friend aged 18 or over
- who are struggling with everyday life, or who no longer participate as actively as before in activities that are meaningful to them, or who are at risk of no longer having the energy to participate in such activities because of the workload that comes with being an informal caregiver
- who are showing symptoms of burnout that endanger their ability to continue as an informal caregiver
- who are able to function independently enough to manage in their daily life either with little or no assistance and who are able to participate in a guided rehabilitation programme for an average of 5 hours a day
- who are able to move about indoors with or without a mobility device.
Additionally,
- the person you are caring for must be able to function independently enough to not need constant assistance and supervision during the rehabilitation
- the person you are caring for must be able to participate in group rehabilitation and in a guided rehabilitation programme for an average of 5 hours a day.
The aim of this rehabilitation course is to
- teach you ways to understand and manage the challenges and practical difficulties caused by being an informal caregiver
- 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.
The rehabilitation course will be held on the service provider’s premises. The course lasts for 10 days, and it is divided into 2 periods of 5 days.
The person you are caring for will 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 person you are caring for will usually stay in the same double room with you if you are staying at the rehabilitation facility.
During the rehabilitation course, you will, for example, 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, after the first rehabilitation period is over and after you have completed both rehabilitation periods.
The rehabilitation course is offered separately in Finnish and Swedish. The course is offered in Finnish to Sámi-speaking customers. 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 specialist
- a registered nurse or public health nurse
- a physiotherapist
- a social worker, Bachelor of Social Sciences or rehabilitation instructor.
Depending on your individual needs, other rehabilitation professionals and assisting personnel may also take part.
How to apply
You do not need to submit a doctor’s statement or any other supporting documents when you apply for rehabilitation for informal caregivers. It is enough that you give us your personal details (information) in the application.
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.
- If you participate in the rehabilitation course alone, you can use Kela’s service provider search (in Finnish and Swedish only) to look up rehabilitation service providers.
- If you participate in the rehabilitation course with the adult you are caring for, you can use Kela’s rehabilitation course search (in Finnish and Swedish only) to look up rehabilitation service providers. Type omaishoitaja (informal caregiver) in the search field.
- 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 (File an application). 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 – 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.
- 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.