Finland’s aging population may strain family care, expert warns

A leading expert at Finland’s Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) warns that the support aging parents receive from their children is likely to decline in the future due to demographic shifts.

Sari Kehusmaa, THL’s chief specialist, notes that Finland has so far benefited from a large population of healthy retirees—particularly the post-war baby boom generation (1945–1950)—who have cared for their elderly parents and spouses. But as these large cohorts themselves age and require care, the pool of available family caregivers will shrink significantly.

“A smaller number of relatives cannot bear a greater responsibility,” Kehusmaa says. She emphasizes that Finland’s current care system relies on a certain level of informal family support, and if younger generations approach elder care differently, demand for formal services will accelerate, placing further pressure on welfare regions already cutting elderly care budgets.

Kehusmaa stresses that society cannot care for the elderly without family involvement—neither now nor in the future. While the number of official family caregivers has remained stable, Finland already has a high level of unpaid, informal support from relatives, who receive no compensation or formal status.

She cautions against assuming family care can expand indefinitely without consequences for other areas, such as the labor market. Finding a balance between family and professional care is critical, particularly for demanding cases like dementia, where caregivers’ resources can quickly deplete.

“It’s valuable for society that Finns are so widely willing to help the elderly. We should encourage that,” Kehusmaa adds.

The warning follows a case reported by Yle, in which Eeva Heikkilä of Oulu became the family caregiver for her father, Pekka Heikkilä, who lives in Turku. Earlier reports detailed her struggles to secure help for him, as Oulu authorities initially refused to provide services for a resident of another city.