Elderly people living in care homes need more outdoor access: THL

Only just over half of clients of services for older people feel they get outdoors enough and more opportunities to get outdoors are needed especially in home care, said the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) based on a survey.

The situation has improved only slightly since 2024, according to the results of THL´s client satisfaction survey released on Friday.

"Access to the outdoors has barely improved compared with previous surveys, which is concerning. In home care especially, there are still many clients who do not feel they get outdoors often enough, even though spending time outdoors should be a natural part of everyday life for older people too," said Suvi Leppäaho, Senior Planning Officer of THL.

In home care and communal housing, 58% of respondents were completely or fairly satisfied with the opportunities to get outdoors, compared with 57% two years earlier.

In home care and communal housing, the share of respondents who felt they got outdoors often enough ranged from 50% to 65% by region.

In service housing with 24-hour assistance, the corresponding range was 54–70%,

About six in ten clients of services for older people feel they get outdoors often enough. Clients in service housing with 24-hour assistance feel they get outdoors often enough more commonly than clients in home care and communal housing.

The client satisfaction survey on services for older people, commissioned by THL in spring 2026, was answered by around 41,000 clients of home care, communal housing, and service housing with 24-hour assistance.

In service housing with 24-hour assistance, the share of respondents who felt they got outdoors often enough increased from 61% to 62%.

"Differing client expectations may explain the gap between home care and service housing with 24-hour assistance. Home care clients often have better functional capacity, so they may also expect to move around and get outdoors more than clients in service housing with 24-hour assistance. However, home care visits are often short, and time is not always set aside to help the client get outdoors," said Hanna Alastalo, Chief Researcher of THL.

Experiences also differed within the same region depending on which service the respondent received. In some regions, such as South Karelia, the Vantaa and Kerava area, and Eastern Uusimaa, the gap between service housing with 24-hour assistance on the one hand and home care and communal housing on the other was particularly large.

"The differences may be explained by clients' functional capacity and the help available for getting outdoors. If a region has more clients with reduced functional capacity, staff and other helpers need more time to help them get outdoors," Alastalo said.

The "Take an Older Person Outdoors" campaign encourages spending time outdoors with older people

The survey results on clients’ opportunities to get outdoors are being published as preliminary data in connection with the "Take an Older Person Outdoors" campaign. The campaign, coordinated by the Age Institute, runs from 7 to 20 September 2026.