First national customer survey for the elderly begins - THL hopes that close relatives will help them in responding to the survey

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has launched the first national customer satisfaction survey on the services for the elderly. We hope that all those who use home care and sheltered housing services will respond to the "Tell us about your service" survey. 

“Elderly service customers of all levels of condition must have the opportunity to participate in the survey, be heard and tell us about the service they have received. We hope that the close relatives and friends of older people will help them to complete the survey. Each response is valuable,” says Sari Kehusmaa, Chief Specialist at THL.

The customer will receive the questionnaire from his/her own service unit. The customer may respond to the survey him/herself or with the help of a close relative. A nurse may also assist in responding.

Attempts will also be made to obtain responses from people with memory disorders

When preparing the survey, particular attention was paid to obtaining responses from people with memory disorders. For them, a shorter survey was drawn up, the responses to which can be given by selecting a descriptive smiley. 

“Finland has long lagged behind in collecting customer feedback on national services for older people, even though feedback is needed to monitor the quality of and to develop the services. In Sweden, a similar survey is conducted regularly. Now a legislative reform is changing the situation, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare will start collecting information on customer satisfaction in services for the elderly every two years,” says Kehusmaa. 

Päivi Topo, the Ombudsman for the Elderly, encourages elderly people to provided feedback on the services.

"Older people who use the services, and their families and friends, are the best parties to assess the functionality and quality of the services. When the services are developed in consultation with feedback from them, we can see what is good for the life and well-being now and what should be corrected," Topo says.

The customer survey will be open from mid-March to May 13. The first results will be published in the autumn. Starting next year, you will be able to view customer reviews of any unit on THL's website.

Contact information

Sari Kehusmaa
Chief Specialist
THL
tel. +358 29 524 7914
[email protected]

Inquiries related to responding to the survey:
e-mail: kerropalvelustasi(at)thl.fi