Geriatric Medicine
- section of UEMS
Delegates:
Maria Nuotio
maria.nuotio@utu.fiJouko Laurila
jouko.laurila@fimnet.fi------------------
Geriatrics in Finland
Yes. Orthopedics, oncology, memory clinics (with neurologists), palliative care
Total population >65 Years old (in absolute numbers): :At the end of 2025, the total population of Finland was 5 652 881 and 1 347 449 were aged 65+
Population aged 65+ (or 60+) (in %):: :Share of 65+ population: 23.8%
Population aged 75+ (in %)::Share of 75+ population: 11.9%
Population aged 80+ (in %): :Share of 80+ population: 6.4%
Gender distribution in the older population (60+) :60+ population 1 707 112; male 776959 (45.5%), female 930 153 (54.5%)
Most frequent Diagnosis-related groupsin older adults:Cardiovascular diseases
Mortality and morbidity information:Total number of deaths in Finland in 2024 was 58 200 and 51 200 (88%) died at age of 65+. Mortality was 3.8% in 65+ population and 6.1% in 75+ population. Leading causes of death in 65+ population were cardiovascular diseases (33% of deaths in the age group), dementing disorders (23%) and cancer (22%).
National geriatrics society/association name:Finnish Geriatricians (Suomen Geriatrit)
Contact details (email, phone number) :matias.pehkonen@varha.fi (current secretary), maria.nuotio@utu.fi (current chair)
Website - URL :www.suomengeriatrit.fi
Total number of certified geriatricians in the country :403 working-age (<65) geriatricians at the end of 2025
Is Geriatrics a recognized specialty? (Yes/No) :Yes
Duration of postgraduate training in geriatric medicine (years): :5
Criteria to be admitted in geriatric medicine residency training:National level criteria, admission rounds (1-2 per year) and selection based on working experience, scientific merits, motivation and personal interview
Any ongoing programs to train more geriatricians? (Yes/No):No
Criteria for a patient be treated by a geriatrician :No strict, written and uniform ones but practically age (75+ in most cases) and one or more of the following: needs CGA, cognitive problems, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, impaired functioning, needs rehabilitation
Number of hospitals with dedicated geriatric units:We have 5 university hospitals, 25 secondary care hospitals (= central hospitals of the health care districts), and numerous primary care hospital units. Unfortunately, I cannot g
Kind of units present in hospitals involved in geriatric care:emergency departments, acute wards, memory clinics, rehabilitation wards, palliative care centers
Do geriatric co-management programs exist in non-geriatric units:Yes. Orthopedics, oncology, memory clinics (with neurologists), palliative care
Major challenges :We had a large social and healthcare reform recently and it broke some of our service delivery models. Now we are reorganizing collaboration between "new units". A lot of the services have been centralized, local primary care hospitals abolished. There are few LTC wards left, so we try to manage with home care and residential care. When the services were organized at municipality level, cooperation was flexible and smooth. Now colleagues work in separate silos, e.g. home and residential care alone without connection to local hospital or outpatient clinic.
Initiatives or solutions being implemented to address these :This started in 2023, so have to wait that the challenges are acknowledged first. At the moment, the greatest priority is to save money. Larger selection of home-delivered services is a possible solution, e.g., mobile hospitals, rehabilitation at home, virtual visits.
Are there regional disparities in geriatric care?:Yes
Which regions have the best/worst access to geriatric services? :It takes time to get in to residential care all over the country, and there are few specialized psychogeriatric units left in the county. Some of the services are unevenly distributed, for example memory clinics and advanced rehabilitation units.
Number of long-term care facilities:Practically there are no long-term care facilities left in the country, instead we have assisted living facilities where MDs visit at most once a week.
Are there co-management programs in these:Collaboration with nurses and physiotherapists yes, but no official co-management programs; the settings are perceived as homes rather than LTC facilities.
Name of Universities Offering Geriatric Medicine:All 5 with medical faculties: University of Helsinki, University of Eastern Finland, University of Oulu, University of Tampere, University oh Turku.
Geriatric medicine is part of undergraduate training?:Yes, in all 5 universities with medical education.
Is there a postgraduate curriculum specific to geriatrics?:YEs
How many candidates are enrolled into geriatric:35
Name of UEMS board membersandcontacts per country:UEMS Geriatric Medicine Section board has 2 members from Finland: Maria Nuotio (maria.nuotio@utu.ei) and Eija Lönnroos (eija.lonnroos@uef.fi)
Additional comments or important informationGERIATRIA (Geriatric Medicine, definition by the Geriatric Section of UEMS)on lääketieteen erikoisala, joka keskittyy niihin fyysisiin, henkisiin, toiminnallisiin ja sosiaalisiin olosuhteisiin, joita tavataan iäkkäiden potilaiden äkillisissä ja pitkäaikaissairauksissa, kuntoutuksessa, preventiossa ja elämän loppuvaiheen hoidossa.
Tässä potilasryhmässä esiintyy paljon haurastumista ja monisairastavuutta, jotka vaativat kokonaisvaltaista näkemystä. Sairaudet voivat vanhuusiässä ilmetä toisin kuin nuoremmilla, ovat usein hankalia diagnosoida, vastehoitoon on monesti viivästynyt ja usein tarvitaan sosiaalista tukea.
Sen takia geriatria toimii laajemmin kuin yksittäisiin elimiin kohdistuvalääketiede tarjoten hoitoamoniammatillisen ryhmän puitteissa. Päämääränä on optimoida vanhuspotilaan toiminnallinen tila sekä kohentaa elämänlaatua ja itsenäistä toimintakykyä.
Vaikka geriatria sellaisenaan ei ole ikään sidottua, se yleensä koskee niiden sairauksien hoitoa, joita tavataan tyypillisesti iäkkäillä potilailla. Useimmat potilaat ovat yli 65-vuotiaita, mutta geriatrian parhaiten hallitsemat ongelmat selvästi yleistyvät yli 80-vuotiaiden ikäryhmässä.