Services bound to appropriations

Some disability services and support measures are bound to the appropriations allocated to them by the wellbeing services county. In other words, if the client meets the conditions to be granted the services, the client will get them if the county has the available appropriations. 

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Rehabilitation guidance   

The objective of rehabilitation guidance is to help and promote a person with a long-lasting illness or disability and their close persons in order to achieve well-being and life management. Rehabilitation guidance means supporting, counselling and guidance.  

Rehabilitation counsellors often work in hospitals. Rehabilitation counsellors can be contact persons between the rehabilitee and their family, professionals participating in the care and rehabilitation, and different service systems. Rehabilitation guidance is free of charge to the client. 

Rehabilitation (infoFinland.fi)

Adaptation guidance

The objective of adaptation guidance is to help a person live with a disability or illness in everyday life and to find solutions to different kinds of practical challenges. Adaptation guidance includes counselling, guidance and coaching of the person with a disability and their close persons. It can be carried out individually or in a group, and if needed, it can be recurring. Also, adaptation guidance in the home of the person with a disability is possible. 

Adaptation guidance can be teaching that promotes communication (e.g. Blissymbolics, Braille, sign language), improving social functioning ability (e.g. supporting the possibility for leisure time activities), coaching in human relations and sexuality (e.g. the parental role) and learning independent life skills (e.g. public services, coaching for housing, and guidance in mobility skills).

Reimbursement of necessary equipment 

A person with a disability can be granted financial support to purchase equipment, machines and devices they need in everyday activities. Half of the purchase costs are reimbursed. 

The wellbeing services county also has the discretion to reimburse expenses for alterations that are necessary because of the person’s disability. For example, these expenses can be for installing a hand control device, a wheelchair hoist and motor, and an indoor heater. 

In addition, a person entitled to special care for persons with intellectual disabilities can be granted devices needed in daily activities. 

Assistive devices for medical rehabilitation are granted by the public health care. Read more on medical rehabilitation: 
Medical rehabilitation (in Finnish, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health)

Reimbursement of expenses of clothing and special diet 

Reimbursement of extra expenses for clothing can be applied if a disability or illness causes unusual wearing out of clothing, or if the person is unable to wear clothes or footgear sold in stores.

Reimbursement of extra expenses for the use of long-term and regularly needed special nutrition can also be applied. 

Family care, short-term care and informal care support 

Family care

The objective of family care is to give a person with a disability the possibility of home-like care and close relationships and promote their general sense of security and social relations. Family care is organised in the home of the family caretaker or the person taken care of. At the shortest, family care can be organised for instance for a child in the morning before school or in the afternoon after school if they cannot cope alone at home or cannot leave for school without assistance.

Long-term family care can be organised, for instance for housing services for a person. Family care for a child with a disability can be organised for instance in a situation where the child needs care and attention and the parents’ situation in life and their resources don’t allow them to fill this need. Family care can be organised for persons of all ages. 

Short-term care

Short-term care is a service that is organised to lighten care responsibilities and to support the coping of close persons of the person with a disability. The objective is to ensure the care of the person with a disability in situations where the close persons usually responsible for their care are unable to take care of them. Short-term care can be granted to children and adults if they necessarily need it because of their disability. Persons with an intellectual disability have the right to short-term care.

Short-term care can be organised in family care, in separate premises of group housing, or with home visits by the caretaker. The client’s wishes and needs are to be taken into account when choosing the type and place of care. Expenses for upkeep can be charged but not for the care itself. Partial upkeep for those under 16 years of age must be free of charge. 

Informal care support 

Informal care means care and attention of an older person or a person with a disability or illness, arranged at home with the help of a family member or other close person. The main rule is that care takes place at the home of the person taken care of. 

Informal care support includes services given to the person taken care of as well as the care allowance, leave and services supporting informal care given to the caretaker. All informal caretakers who have made an informal care agreement have the right to at least a two-day leave per month. 

Other necessary services and support measures 

A person with a disability can also be granted other services or support measures that are necessary to realise the purpose of the Disability Services Act. The purpose of the Act is to promote the conditions of a person with a disability to live and act together with other people as an equal member of society and to prevent and remove disadvantages and obstacles caused by the disability. 

For example, depending on the individual situation, the service could be home-help service or autism counselling, and the support measure could be financial support for purchasing a hobby tool or a car. 

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