Project title
Description of initiative
Service centres can be found across the city, and the services they offer are principally free of charge. In 2019, about 13,500 Helsinki residents had a service centre card making
them eligible for the services offered. Clients come to the service centres independently or with a friend or family member. Some clients are referred to the service centres by partners such as health centres, home care or hospitals. Clients are free to come and go, to join groups and participate or not, as they choose. Many clients have come to regard the service centre as an extension of their homes, a meaningful community that they enjoy for many years. Within the service centre, clients can – according to changes in their functional capacity or life situation – move from one leisure activity group to another, perhaps to a peer support group for clients requiring more assistance
The service centres cater to the needs of a diverse clientele spanning a wide age range with both individual and collective cultural experiences, designed to provide special moments or to give an additional boost to everyday routines. Clients may attend talks, concerts, daytime dances and singalong events. There is also a wide range of hobby and study groups available, in areas as diverse as watercolour painting, ceramics, sewing, woodwork, metalwork, drama, etc. The service centres also offer cultural experiences for those who could not independently access them or who would not otherwise go. Arts-based and activity-based methods allow clients to enjoy their cultural rights even with diminished functional capacity due to a memory disorder or severe mobility or communication impairments
Further information on the initiative
Themes: Culture and...
Keywords
Target group
Cultural field
Timeframe
Sources of funding
Results, benefits, impact and lessons learnt
Service centre clients are not a homogeneous group but a collection of individuals with differing needs, histories, interests, hopes and dreams. Life history and identity must always be considered when engaging with clients. Activity content is planned with clients so that everyone can participate according to their abilities. Promoting equality and diversity is a crucial part of a high-quality client-oriented approach that makes services available and accessible to all. The multi-professional skills and special expertise of staff and the potential for shaping activities to match the functional capacity and needs of clients make it possible for clients with memory disorders, for instance, to participate in these activities as much as possible. Group activities with support at service centres help fragile clients live at home for as long as possible, and when combined with other support services such as short-term rehabilitation, home care visits and/or informal care, this approach can postpone the time when long-term institutional care becomes necessary.