This is a critical moment for promoting the health and wellbeing of older people – municipalities and wellbeing services counties must make cooperation work

The promotion of wellbeing and health has great potential to strengthen the functional capacity of the ageing population, support people in managing everyday life and postpone the need for more intensive services. This is only possible if activities that support wellbeing are available and those who need support are reached in time.

Effective action requires functional cooperation structures between wellbeing services counties, municipalities, organisations and other actors. These structures must be established without delay.

Structural change is still ongoing: cooperation does not work without a shared direction

Following the health and social services reform, responsibility for promoting wellbeing and health now rests with municipalities and wellbeing services counties. They support the wellbeing, functional capacity and everyday lives of older people through their respective duties. The reform dismantled previous operating models, and expertise from municipal professionals was transferred to wellbeing services counties. The new practices have not yet become established in all respects.

The law obliges both wellbeing services counties and municipalities to prepare a plan for supporting the wellbeing, health, functional capacity and independent coping of the older population, and to cooperate in achieving these objectives.

The plans cannot be separate from one another. Wellbeing services counties and municipalities need a shared commitment to the kind of wellbeing, functional capacity and everyday life they want to build for older people. Concrete objectives, measures, responsible parties and monitoring are defined according to this shared direction. Preventive work can then become a managed whole rather than a set of occasional measures.

The longer operating practices remain unclear, the greater the risk that older people will not receive support in time or will be left without it altogether. This reduces quality of life, but it is also costly for society. As the population is ageing rapidly, the pace must be accelerated.

Resources cannot be wasted: cooperation helps target support correctly

Municipalities, wellbeing services counties and organisations do a great deal of work to support the wellbeing of older people. In practice, this may include, for example, physical activity and lifestyle guidance, nutritional support, prevention of falls or reducing loneliness through group activities.

Organisations play an important role in this: they identify support needs at an early stage and reach people whom public services do not always reach. Organisations also have strong expertise and the ability to adapt their activities flexibly to changing needs.

When actors are familiar with each other’s work and the services available in the area, overlapping efforts can be avoided and measures can be targeted at the older people who benefit from them most. If the plans are separate, similar services may be directed at the same people while some of those who need support are not reached at all.

There are already successful examples: in Ostrobothnia, in FINGER lifestyle program activities organised through cooperation, the wellbeing services county is responsible for the treatment of diseases and provides lifestyle guidance, municipalities organise physical activity groups and the memory association is responsible for cognitive exercises. Each actor makes use of its own expertise. Not everything needs to be done alone, nor is it sensible to do so.

Better everyday life and more years with functional capacity

Many older people find the activities they need on their own, but not everyone has the resources to do so. Guidance, low-threshold meeting places and outreach work help ensure that support is easy to find at the right time.

At its best, cooperation in promoting wellbeing and health means a better everyday life for older people, more years with functional capacity and opportunities to live a good life that reflects their own needs and preferences. This increases people’s trust in the system. They are cared for.

Applications for the health promotion grant are open

Resources are also needed to strengthen cooperation structures. One current opportunity for this is the health promotion grant. It supports activities to promote wellbeing and health carried out by municipalities in cooperation with wellbeing services counties, organisations and other actors.

In the application round for 2027, one of the priorities is supporting the functional capacity of older people and their ability to cope at home, as well as promoting the wellbeing, functional capacity and health of informal carers. The application period is open from 11 May to 12 June 2026.

Read more

Health promotion grant (in Finnish)

Webinar on 13 May: Application information session on the 2027 health promotion grant (In Finnish)