Rehabilitation for children with type 1 diabetes

This rehabilitation course is intended for children with type 1 diabetes who are primary school age or younger. Rehabilitation is offered in the form of group rehabilitation. The group meets on the service provider’s premises. The child’s family accompanies the child for the entire duration of the rehabilitation course.

The rehabilitation course is free of charge.

Who is the rehabilitation course for?

This rehabilitation is suited for children who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Rehabilitation is offered for the following target groups:

• children under school age and their families
• children in primary school and their families.

Aim of rehabilitation

The rehabilitation course helps the child and their family adapt to a new kind of daily life and the changes brought on by the child’s condition. The aim of this rehabilitation course is to

• secure the child’s functional capacity
• give the family better resources and support their life management skills
• support the self-treatment of the child’s condition
• help the family discover ways to continue to live as full a life as possible despite the child’s condition.

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 5 days.

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 child’s family accompanies the child for the entire duration of the rehabilitation course. The child can be accompanied by 1–2 adults and 1–2 siblings over the age of 2. All siblings under the age of 2 can accompany the child. If more than 2 siblings over the age of 2 want to accompany the child during the rehabilitation course, Kela will contact the service provider to agree on practical matters and make sure that there is enough room for all. The family can stay overnight at the rehabilitation facility or travel there from home each day. The facility offers accommodation in a family room when family rooms are available.

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 rehabilitation

The following experts will plan and manage the rehabilitation programme:

• a paediatrician 
• a diabetes nurse
• a nutritional therapist
• a psychologist.

Depending on the child’s 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 the child’s health issued by a doctor for the child if you want to apply for this rehabilitation. For example, you can submit a copy of the child’s 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 the child has that qualifies them for rehabilitation, how well the child can function, what kind of rehabilitation is recommended for the child and why.

Once you have a medical statement B or a health statement for the child, 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. You can use Kela’s rehabilitation course search (in Finnish and Swedish only) to look up service providers. Type diabetes 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 your child, 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.
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 the child’s medical statement B or health statement 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.