North Savo plans four care home closures

North Savo’s wellbeing services county plans to close four care homes and reduce capacity at two other units in 2027, a proposal opposed by residents and local authorities, Yle reports.

The plans would remove 95 places. A new 60-place care home due to open in Kuopio means the total number of places across the region would fall by 35 if the changes go ahead. About 60 employees would be affected.

One of the homes on the closure list is Pehtoori in Keitele, where 89-year-old Helga Savio has lived for more than three years. “I am rubbish,” she said, in tears as she spoke about the plans. Savio said she did not want to leave the home, where she lives near her daughter and is cared for by staff she knows.

The other homes proposed for closure are in Kiuruvesi, Riistavesi in Kuopio and Varpaisjärvi in Lapinlahti. The county also plans to reduce capacity at residential units in Sonkajärvi and Juankoski in Kuopio.

The county is seeking annual savings of 2.5 million euros, in part to fund a new care home in Kuopio. It expects the proposed changes to save 1.7 million euros next year. The county cites financial pressures and a goal of providing more services in people’s homes. Its most recent financial statement showed an uncovered deficit of about 123 million euros.

County director of services for older people Kaija Kokkonen said the units selected for closure are in places with more residential care capacity than the county’s target requires. The county aims for about 6 per cent of people aged 75 and over to receive round-the-clock care. Kokkonen also said the units’ costs per care day are above the county average, partly because of layouts that require more staff and include space that cannot be covered by residents’ rents.

Residents and local officials have objected to the plans. Petitions calling for the homes to remain open had collected more than 2,000 signatures in Kiuruvesi and more than 600 each in Keitele and Varpaisjärvi by Thursday. The Keitele association that owns Pehtoori’s premises said it had not been told about the plans in advance. Its chair, Sari Andersson, said the roof had been renovated for 100,000 euros the previous winter at the county’s request. Kokkonen said she had not known about the recent renovation and maintained that the plans had been communicated in good time.

Permanent employees are expected to be offered other jobs within the county. Pehtoori practical nurse Irja Juutilainen said she would not travel 100 kilometres to work. The proposal is due to go before the county council later this year as part of the 2027 budget. Three care homes in Iisalmi, Leppävirta and Kangaslampi have also been closed or are due to close this autumn, while two residential units were closed in previous years.