Rehabilitation for persons with movement disorders

Rehabilitation for persons with movement disorders is intended for adults aged 18 or over who have been diagnosed with a movement disorder. 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?

This rehabilitation course is suited for adults aged 18 or over

• who have been diagnosed with a movement disorder
• who find it difficult to manage in daily life because their condition limits their ability to work or function
• who are able to participate in group rehabilitation and in a guided rehabilitation programme for an average of 5 hours a day
• who are able to function independently enough to, for example, move around on the service provider’s premises without needing constant assistance.

Rehabilitation is offered separately for the following target groups:

• persons with dystonia
• persons with primary ataxias
• persons with Parkinson’s disease
  • persons under 68 whose condition has been recently diagnosed and is in the early stages (persons who have had the condition for less than 5 years)
  • persons over 68 whose condition has been recently diagnosed and is in the early stages (persons who have had the condition for less than 5 years)
  • persons aged 18 or over who have had the condition for over 5 years.

Aim of rehabilitation

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. The rehabilitation course lasts for 15 days, and it is divided into 3 periods of 5 days.

An adult family member or friend aged 18 or over accompanies you during the first and last period of the 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). 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. Your family member or friend will usually stay in the same double room with you if you are staying at the rehabilitation facility.

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, after the first and second rehabilitation periods and after you have completed all three 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.

The experts involved in your rehabilitation

The following experts will plan and manage your rehabilitation programme:

• a specialist in neurology
• a registered nurse or public health nurse
• a psychologist or neuropsychologist
• a physiotherapist.

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

How to apply

Once you have a medical statement B, a health statement or a rehabilitation plan, do as follows:

1. Complete the application form for discretionary rehabilitation KU 132 (PDF, in Finnish) or the application form for intensive medical rehabilitation KU 104 (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. You can use Kela’s rehabilitation course search (in Finnish and Swedish only) to look up service providers. Type liikehäiriö (movement disorder) in the search field.
   • 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). 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 either Harkinnanvarainen kuntoutus (Discretionary rehabilitation) or Vaativa lääkinnällinen kuntoutus (Intensive medical 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.

   • If you are applying for discretionary rehabilitation, send us a copy of your medical statement B or health statement as a supporting document with your application.
   • If you are applying for intensive medical rehabilitation, send us a copy of your rehabilitation plan 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.