Ilta-Sanomat launched its investigation after receiving over a hundred tips about elder care problems from workers and relatives across Finland, and following a death at Esperi Care's Otsola nursing home where an elderly person was tied to a chair and left unsupervised, resulting in strangulation. At Parkinmäki assisted living facility in Turku, an undercover reporter found caregivers working double shifts up to 14 hours due to staff shortages. The facility consists of four buildings with 131 apartments, currently housing 101 elderly residents and 13 in communal living.
Former employees reported that residents wait weeks for showers and end-of-life care is neglected because of insufficient staffing. During one shift, a dying elderly person was shouting in distress and a caregiver expressed frustration. The reporter was feeding a frail resident with swallowing difficulties and could not leave to comfort the shouting person.
On another occasion, a resident fainted during coffee time and staff rushed to help, leaving others unattended and meals delayed. Two caregivers were missing from that shift, reflecting chronic shortages. According to Ilta-Sanomat, CEO Susanne Karlsson said she was unaware of double shifts and found them strange, emphasizing that staffing ratios have been sufficient.
However, head of nursing Teija Lemmetyinen, as reported by Ilta-Sanomat, acknowledged knowing about double shifts but stressed they are voluntary. Parkinmäki has used a staffing agency since March to alleviate the situation. The wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland, Varha, stopped placing new clients at Parkinmäki from April 20 due to findings from supervision visits in late February and early March.
The facility is now under enhanced monitoring by Varha's supervision center, and Varha is preparing a claim against the service provider. Among the residents affected was 91-year-old Viljo Markkanen, whose story Ilta-Sanomat can now tell with his family's permission. Viljo moved to Parkinmäki in 2023 after a fall during interval care left him needing round-the-clock support.
I was unaware of double shifts and find them strange. Staffing ratios have been sufficient.
He and his wife Anneli had been together for half a century, having met at work in Helsinki in the 1970s. Before Parkinmäki, Viljo was active, moving with a walker and using the toilet independently. Within weeks of arrival, his condition deteriorated dramatically.
A hygiene overall was suggested, and later a pelvic belt was used in his wheelchair while bed rails were raised to prevent him from getting up. A photo shows Viljo from behind in a wheelchair with a gray belt around him, indicating restraint. Anneli Markkanen said he did not get enough outdoor time or exercise, and he became practically fully dependent on others.
Viljo, who had enjoyed skiing with his wife, spent his last years passive and absent. The rapid decline affected his dental hygiene and overall health. Viljo had memory loss and died around the time the journalist was at Parkinmäki, though the journalist was not on shift then.
The original story did not reveal any resident's name to protect privacy. In Scotland, a BBC investigation at Castlehill care home in Inverness was triggered by Susan Christie's concerns about her father's care. The home charges up to £1,800 per week.
Christie installed a secret camera and recorded her father being left in an incontinence pad for over 12 hours, not washed properly, food placed out of reach, and spilling hot porridge on himself. A cleaner was filmed restraining her father, violently shaking the bed frame, and prodding him with a walking stick; the cleaner was later sacked. An undercover BBC reporter witnessed residents shouting for help from their rooms due to low staffing, with some needing toilet assistance or help getting washed and dressed.
I knew about double shifts, but they are voluntary.
One female resident in a nightie begged the reporter not to leave as she waited for a carer to take her to the bathroom, eventually sobbing after losing control. The Care Inspectorate upheld nine complaints from Christie, and Castlehill had the most upheld complaints in Scotland in 2024, with ten. The BBC interviewed four other families with similar historical concerns.
In Canada, police in Calgary are investigating the death of a 91-year-old woman outside Cedars Villa Extendicare facility. She was found outside after being reported missing and died from cold exposure, with temperatures that night dipping to almost -17°C. In Finland, a fatal assault at Setälänpiha senior home in Lieto, run by Pihlajalinna, is under investigation by police, Valvira, and the Regional State Administrative Agency.
A 76-year-old woman, Vuokko, died after being assaulted by another resident. According to Yle, her son Veijo Kujala said her face was so swollen he could hardly recognize her. A neurologist explained she suffered two cerebral haemorrhages and there was hardly any hope; she died in hospital a week after the assault.
Vuokko had entered the wrong room after an evening prayer session; staff had been monitoring the male resident but let him return to his room alone. He beat her severely, with ambulance technicians reporting both eyes blackened, lumps on her head, and bite marks on her right wrist. No one witnessed the assault, but another female resident called staff for help.
Caregivers found Vuokko conscious on a bed before she showed paralysis symptoms. Staff had been worried for months that the male suspect was a serious threat to others. The care facility sent a bill for the entire month of January despite Vuokko dying at the beginning of the month.