Rehabilitation course for informal caregivers

Applications to courses arranged in 2025 can be submitted later in the spring. A more specific date will be announced later.

The rehabilitation course for informal caregivers is suitable for you, if

• you provide daily care and help to an adult family member or a child or adolescent of yours who is in need of special care
• you are struggling to cope with everyday life, or you no longer participate as actively as before in activities that are meaningful to you, or there is a risk that you will no longer have the energy to participate in such activities because of the work load that comes from being an informal caregiver
• you have burnout symptoms or feel exhausted, which jeopardises your ability to carry on functioning as an informal caregiver
• you are able to function independently enough to manage daily activities either by yourself or with a little assistance, and are able to participate in a guided rehabilitation programme for an average of 5 hours a day.
• you are able to move about indoors with or without a mobility device.
• you wish to participate in rehabilitation alone, without the family member that you are caring for
• you wish to participate in face-to-face and digital rehabilitation.

Please note:

You do not need a doctor’s statement or any other medical documentation in order to be able to apply to the course.
The informal caregiver does not need to have an agreement on informal care.

Rehabilitation is arranged for the following target groups:

• informal caregivers who are caring for an adult family member or close relative on a daily basis
• informal caregivers who are caring for a child or adolescent of their own, who is in need of special care

Purpose of the course

The aim of the course is to provide support and guidance and to help you cope in everyday life. The course aims to increase your resources and skills so that you are able to participate in activities in your own living environment.

Content of the course and implementation

The rehabilitation is implemented as group rehabilitation taking each client’s individual goal and need for rehabilitation into consideration.

The course includes group discussions and working in small groups, a variety of activities as well as individual interviews, meetings and discussions with rehabilitation experts.

The rehabilitation is partly arranged on the service provider’s premises and partly in the form of telerehabilitation. You can stay overnight at the place of the rehabilitation or travel there from home each day. The part of the course that is arranged on the service provider’s premises lasts 10 days, and it is divided into two 5-day periods.

The telerehabilitation part of the course is arranged during 12 weeks in the form of online rehabilitation between the periods of face-to-face rehabilitation.

The online rehabilitation includes reading material, recordings and videos as well as various assignments and exercises. You can proceed with the online rehabilitation at your own pace and at a time suitable to you. The multiprofessional team that arranges your rehabilitation will monitor your progress and give you advice and feedback. If necessary, the service provider will lend you the device needed for you to be able to participate in telerehabilitation.

The service provider contacts you before and after the rehabilitation.

Course personnel

The course is implemented by the following experts:

• specialist in general practice, geriatrics, neurology, internal medicine or physiatrics
• registered nurse or public health nurse
• physiotherapist
• social worker, Bachelor of Social Sciences, rehabilitation instructor or Master of Social Sciences (major subject rehabilitation science).

Depending on your individual needs, other rehabilitation professionals and assisting personnel may also take part.

Read more