Policies of elderly care in Finland from the 1930s until the 2000s
Abstract
This paper is based on contemporary data analyzed for a general assessment of the development of Finnish policies of elderly care from the 1930s until the 2000s. These policies were analysed using a historical and multi-level approach. The historical approach means that the phenomenon was observed over a long time span by using a historical research method. It also implies that the current policies of elderly care are an outcome of long-term development. The multilevel approach means that the analysis was carried out in terms of the governmental goals of geriatric policies (level I), municipal policies (level II), care-providing organizations (level III) and practical routines of elderly care (level IV). The contemporary data of the study consisted of official documents as well as personal reports by practitioners of geriatric care. The data were analyzed using a method of systematic interpretation. Based on the analysis, the general development of geriatric care could be divided into the following stages: activation stage (1930-1950), schematic stage (1950-1970), complementary stage (1970-1990), innovative stage (1990-).
