Parliamentary Ombudsman Riitta-Leena Paunio ordered the reports from five provincial governments in June following allegations of serious shortcomings and neglect at the nation's public and private retirement homes.
The studies confirm these fears. They indicate that elderly residents are routinely strapped into beds, locked up, denied access to toilets, suffer from malnutrition and are overmedicated.
All five reports conclude that the facilities are understaffed, in many cases falling short of legal requirements.
According to the reports, elderly patients are often strapped into beds or chairs at night or even during the day for their own safety and because of short staffing. Those who escape are locked into their rooms and the most restless ones are sedated.
Even residents in good health are forced to wear diapers as there are not enough employees to accompany them to the toilet. At many institutions, the elderly rarely go outdoors for the same reason. Particularly in large cities and at many big facilities, they can only go outside if a relative or volunteer is available to escort them.
Understaffing is especially acute at night, the reports indicate. Often a single person oversees an entire facility, although there may be unsupervised seniors in several buildings.
On Tuesday Minister of Health and Social Services Paula Risikko called the report "shocking" but pointed out that the first national supervisory system for social services will be launched at the beginning of next year.