More people rely on unpaid family care as funding cuts strain support services

Finnish family caregivers are facing growing challenges as government budget cuts reduce support services, even as demand for unpaid care increases, Yle reports.

The government’s recent budget framework includes an additional €50 million reduction in grants for social and healthcare organisations, further tightening resources for family caregiver associations. Over the past few years, funding for these groups has already been halved.

In South Ostrobothnia, the Lakeuden Omaishoitajat association has seen its staff shrink from four to just two employees. Merja Riikonen, a care planner for the organisation, said December’s budget decisions will force even deeper cuts.

“We’ve already had to reduce services, especially for families with neurodivergent children who had little support to begin with,” Riikonen said. She warned that the association now focuses only on low-threshold, preventive activities that public welfare regions cannot provide—particularly peer support, which she called “the core of our work.”

Elina Hokkanen, a mother of five children with special needs in Seinäjoki, relies on the association’s services but criticises the cuts as misguided. “I understand budget pressures, but those who need help most should not be the ones paying for it,” she said. Hokkanen, who has acted as a peer counsellor herself, stressed that peer support is “the most important thing” for families like hers.

The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) confirms that financial support for family caregivers has declined in South Ostrobothnia’s welfare region. Riikonen noted that authorities often overlook the cost savings of home care compared to institutionalisation, as well as the strict accountability required of nonprofits.

“Every year, we submit detailed reports on how many people we’ve reached,” she said. “It’s frustrating that decision-makers don’t seem to understand what we actually do.”