More than eight out of 10 older people in Finland still live at home, a European high.
Kaisa Kauppinen, a docent at the University of Helsinki and senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, estimates that as many as 700,000 working people are now taking care of their parents. Most are middle-aged women. And that number is set to grow rapidly in the coming years.
Yet only a small fraction – about 40,000 – receive any public compensation for their efforts.
Kauppinen argues that home-carers should receive financial support and the right to work part-time, just like those who care for children at home. She points out that putting old people in care homes would cost society much more.
Meanwhile caregivers’ own careers and income suffer, particularly as many are ‘sandwiched’ between care of their parents and their own children.
Kauppinen also notes that as caregiving can be exhausting, carers are more likely to retire earlier themselves, which may translate into a net financial loss for society.
“Finnish women carry a lot of societal responsibility and they work a lot compared to those in other EU countries. For instance in Sweden women do much more part-time work than in Finland.
Gender split in parental care?
Kauppinen says that men also help take care of their parents, typically doing home repairs, clearing snow and other practical matters. Daughters are often left to care for their parents’ health and home care.
She urges decision-makers to tackle the issue now, before the baby-boom generation reaches old age. Kauppinen says that the time spent on care should be taken into account when calculating carers’ pensions.
Kauppinen notes that in EU countries such as Germany and Italy, care for the elderly is increasing done by immigrants or guest workers from poorer neighbouring countries. In Finland, however, language may often form a barrier in this regard.
Minister of Health and Social Services Susanna Huovinen, meanwhile, tells Yle that she agrees carers should get better state support – but in this tight fiscal and political situation, any immediate improvement is unlikely.