Public discourse on population ageing leaves older adults with a troubling picture of their worth, Professor of Social Work Elisa Tiilikainen says, sad.
Viewing ageing and older adults as a societal and economic burden is commonplace in public discourse. Elisa Tiilikainen finds it paradoxical that Finnish society has long pursued longevity, but once achieved, providing older adults with good care is hardly a priority.
“There is little room in the societal debate for the fact that the ageing population is highly heterogeneous, with a wide range of life situations and needs.”
And this, according to Tiilikainen, should be the foundation of all care for older adults. She was appointed as a Professor of Social Work at the Department of Social Sciences in early September. Her professorship is specialised in ageing, which has been an overarching theme in her research since her student days. Her doctoral dissertation examined loneliness among older adults from a life course perspective.
Being close with her grandparents and having curiosity towards how they and other older adults lived their lives were among the motivations that sparked Tiilikainen’s interest in research addressing old age during her studies. An important role was also played by a minor available at the University of Helsinki, where Professor of Social Gerontology Antti Karisto delivered inspiring, thought provoking lectures.
“That sparked a desire to understand old age, and the diverse and life course shaped experiences of older adults.”
Ignoring older adults’ needs
How society talks or fails to talk about older adults reflects prevailing attitudes toward old age, Tiilikainen says.
“People find it hard to put themselves in the shoes of an older person who needs care. Perhaps that’s cultural fear of aging. But if you don’t even want to think about old age, it is easy to make decisions without remembering that one day you, too, could need care.”
Tiilikainen notes that the situation of round the clock care in Finland has been worrying for a long time. It has been scaled down aggressively, but sufficient resources have not been redirected to home care. Studies by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and others, have shown that home care visits have declined, despite a growing need for care.
“I cannot think of another demographic group whose needs could be similarly ignored. Perhaps a bias of privilege is at play here, too. When policymakers can afford private care for their older relatives or otherwise make sure their needs are adequately met, it may be harder for them to see that not everyone is in the same position.”
We have talked and talked about population ageing and about growing needs for care, yet nothing seems to change.
Elisa Tiilikainen
Professor
Cuts to subsidies for non-governmental organisations raise concerns
Tiilikainen is concerned about the Finnish government’s decision to cut subsidies available to non-governmental organisations. Within her own research projects, the message she keeps hearing is that public services cannot adequately address loneliness among older adults, and this underscores the need for collaboration with third-sector actors.
“Politicians love to talk about loneliness among Finns, yet at the same time funding is being cut from the very organisations that are addressing the issue.”
Numerous studies over the years have emphasised the importance of early intervention and statutory basic public services in social welfare and health care.
“I can see the role of statutory basic public services also in my own research. We need well-functioning services that intervene in problems early on. I find it perplexing that this is not understood, and I can’t help but wonder where exactly in the decision-making process this gets forgotten. The phenomenon is visible not only in services for older adults, but also in those aimed at children and youth.”
Tiilikainen would like to see politicians and decision-makers relying more heavily on current research knowledge and adopting a longer time span in their decision making.
“We have talked and talked about population ageing and about growing needs for care, yet nothing seems to change. The rising demand should have been addressed a long time ago, with a far more holistic view of how services for older adults should be organised now and in the future.”
Cost-savings are prioritised over needs in digital solutions
Digitalisation is touted as a solution to challenges in elder care. According to Tiilikainen, digital services can, at their best, complement existing services for older adults.
“However, I find it worrisome that in Finland, the digitalisation of social welfare and health care services seems to be motivated by cost savings. This can be seen, for example, in home care, where providers may have specific targets for remote visits, denying individuals the choice between an in person and a remote visit.”
Instead of the currently prevailing system first approach, service development should start from people’s needs, even when digitising services.
In the Nordic HAIDI project, Tiilikainen and her research group examined digital device use among people aged 75 and older. They found that changes in physical and cognitive abilities affect the capacity to use digital services.
“Even if a 70 year old can handle digital devices with ease now, it doesn’t mean that they’ll be able to do the same when they’re 90. Digitalisation must be genuinely rooted in individual needs and abilities.”
Intergenerational estrangement raises concerns
Tiilikainen often thinks about the image younger generations have of older adults amidst the ever-ongoing debate on cost cutting and limited resources.
“I am worried about different age groups drifting apart. Natural settings for intergenerational encounters can hardly emerge if we confine older adults in need of care to their homes or to round the clock facilities. In Finland, needs for care tend to be addressed by an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach. I feel this can have serious repercussions for intergenerational solidarity, and for how we relate to people of various ages and situations in life.”
According to Tiilikainen, even students of social work report feelings of estrangement about social work among older adults, despite there being a growing need for expertise in gerontological social work.
“Many people in their twenties, and even people older than that, have very little contact with old age, making encounters with older adults feel uncomfortable. It is concerning, for everyone, if generations continue to drift further apart.”
Elisa Tiilikainen
- Professor of Social Work, especially ageing research, University of Eastern Finland, 1 Sept. 2025–
- Doctor of Social Science, 2016, University of Helsinki
- Title of Docent (Social Work), 2021, University of Helsinki
Key roles
- Associate Professor, University of Eastern Finland, 2022–2025
- Assistant Professor, University of Eastern Finland, 2020–2022
- Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Eastern Finland, 2016–2020
- Project Researcher, University of Eastern Finland, 2015–2016
- Grant-funded Doctoral Researcher, University of Helsinki, 2013–2015
- Coordinator, University of Helsinki, Palmenia Centre for Research and Continuing
