Immigrant elderly left outside the Finnish service system
Peer support groups in eight different languages usually meet separately but every second week Jade hosts a shared breakfast for everyone.
Nadiia Fedorova
Nadiia Fedorova
Published 04.12.2025 at 11:38
Updated 04.12.2025 at 12:10
The sounds of lively conversation in a foreign language can be heard right from the entrance to the Jade Centre in Helsinki. A group of Somali-speaking seniors has just finished one of its meetings. Some women continue their discussions in the room, while others line up to get advice from the group supervisor.
Katja Ikonen, the operational manager at Jade, says this is exactly what elderly immigrants come here for: peer support in their own language community and help with the services.
Jade is an association for elderly foreign-language speakers which provides services for seniors from eight language groups – Somali, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Kurdish, Farsi, Dari and Thai.
Limited access to services
According to Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), there were over 50,000 foreign-language speakers over 60 living in Finland in 2024. More than half of them live in Uusimaa.
Although Finland has developed comprehensive services for seniors, elderly immigrants rarely have access to them, Katja Ikonen says. They often do not understand how the Finnish system works or which services they are entitled to.
The language barrier deepens the problem. Most services are provided in Finnish, Swedish and sometimes English – languages many elderly immigrants do not speak. Even when a counsellor who speaks a client’s native language tries to assist with official matters, difficulties arise. Because of the callback system, authorities may not return calls until the next day, when the counsellor is no longer available.
After the age of 65, immigrants are no longer entitled to integration courses. Alternatives for learning the language exist – municipalities and NGOs offer language classes, but these do not always help.
“The problem is that when you are old, you do not learn the same way,” says Ikonen. Teachers at Jade’s Finnish language club say they have to go through the same topics repeatedly because seniors simply cannot remember the material.
Some immigrants who previously spoke Finnish well forget the language due to memory problems. There are also seniors who cannot read or write, which makes language learning even more problematic.
Another issue is the increasing use of digital services. Many elderly immigrants do not know how to use email, strong bank authentication or online application forms. Ikonen tells of cases where seniors received messages from Kela or Migri and asked people in cafés to help them – showing strangers their personal information and bank account numbers.
“Digitalisation leaves elderly very vulnerable,” Ikonen says. “There should be options for people with low digital skills.”
Diverse group
Immigrant seniors are not a homogeneous group. Even within one community, people may come from different cultural backgrounds and life situations. Challenges differ depending on whether someone arrived in Finland as an asylum seeker, for work, or as a spouse.
Mojhgan Fathollahi, supervisor of the Farsi and Dari group, notes that most of her clients who came as asylum seekers from Afghanistan are satisfied with their lives in Finland. They found peace here.
Farsi speakers from Iran have different experiences. In their home country, many had education, status and good jobs, and in Finland they faced downgrading and depression.
Fathollahi says many asylum seekers come to Finland without knowing much about the country. The climate and cultural differences makes adaptation more challenging.
Despite the differences, elderly immigrants commonly have networks only within their own communities and rarely have Finnish friends.
“For deeper communication, a good level of Finnish is needed,” says Katja Ikonen.
Gaps in the system
Ikonen hopes the needs of immigrant seniors will be taken into account at municipal and state levels. Jade works toward this by cooperating with Finnish elderly organizations and training staff to make services more accessible for foreign-language speakers.
Jade also arranges peer support groups in local senior centres. Although these points offer counselling and activities for all pensioners, immigrant elderly rarely visit them by themselves. One reason is racism.
“When immigrants go to senior centres, they may receive racist comments from other clients. If people are left alone in these situations and staff do not intervene, they will not return,” Ikonen says.
Another issue is the assumption that children or other relatives in immigrant communities will take care of the elderly. These expectations can lead to situations where no one helps – children may live far away, have their own responsibilities or lack knowledge of the system.
In many communal cultures, people may also feel unable to admit that their relatives are not looking after them. This, Ikonen says, is something social workers should pay closer attention to, ensuring that every senior receives the help they need.
“The system should work for all people, regardless of their background,” concludes Ikonen.