Niemikoti Foundation briefly in English

History

• Niemikoti Foundation was founded by the City of Helsinki in 1983
• Social context: The big change in mental health care structure in Finland. Closing down mental hospitals (20 000 psychiatric hospital beds 1980, now 5200-5500)
• Niemikoti Foundation was founded in order to offer services to people in out-patient care
• Sopimusvuori association in Tampere played an important role as an example in Finland

Task

• Provide social psychiatric and preventive mental health services in Helsinki
• Enhance the mental, physical and social skills of clients, enabling them to live as independently as possible

Funding:

• City of Helsinki, clients

Services

• Housing services
• Workshops
• Day Centres
• Vocational training

Criteria for becoming a client:

• Mental health problems
• Residence in Helsinki
• Adult
• “Nurse-patient relationship” required
• Motivation

Portrait of a typical client:

• Male
• Over 40 years of age
• Long term psychiatric patient
• Schizophrenic
• Limited social network, lonely
• Lack everyday skills, needs support and guidance
• No alcohol or drug abuse, not aggressive

Future challenges:

• New type of clients
  Clients with double diagnosis and aging clients
• Funding
  The strict economical situation of the City of Helsinki, the Slot Machine Association’s new policy
• Personnel
  The estimated shortage of qualified workers in the close future

Personnel:

• Educational background in social or health care
• Nurses, practical nurses, social workers, occupational therapists etc.
• Number of staff: 102/2015