Tekijät

• Latva, Anne (University of Vaasa)

Asiasanat

care of the disabled, care of the elderly, decision making, development, health services, local government, local government services, management, social services

Sisällön kuvaus

This survey is part of the social and health services research in the Finnish Local Government 2004 research programme. The research subjects were administration, service provision, and development policies of municipal services for the elderly and the disabled. The respondents were managers of service institutions for the elderly and the disabled in research municipalities. Social services for the elderly and the disabled have also been researched in 1997 and 2002.

First, the respondents' opinions were charted on the current ownership of their service institution, how many clients the institution had in 1998, and whether there were queues for treatment at the end of 1998. The number of full-time and other employees in the service institution at the end of 1998 was queried, as well as the number of employees hired with the help of employment subsidies. Satisfaction with the service facilities was queried, as well as how many clients the facilities could accommodate, how many clients the personnel was able to handle, and whether special needs clients had been taken into account in training personnel and planning and maintaining the facilities. Some questions pertained to opening hours, support services, and service fees in the service institution.

The service provision of municipal services for the elderly and the disabled was charted by asking the respondents to indicate which bodies provided the different services in the institution. Satisfaction with the aforementioned services, and views on competitive tendering and using outsourced services were surveyed, as well as whether the respondents' institution sold services to outside bodies.

In relation to management and decision-making, the respondents were asked which elected body was in charge of issues related to service institutions in their municipality. Views were also probed on the significance and role of that elected body, as well as the impact of different bodies on service institutions. The respondents were asked how important various duties and responsibilities were in their position as the manager of a service institution, and how the significance of these duties had changed.

Views on the use of client surveys and development policies for the future were explored. Opinions on changes in the institution after the year 1996 were queried. The respondents were also asked to evaluate the present state of various factors related to municipal services for the elderly and the disabled. Finally, the respondents were presented with a set of attitudinal statements related to services for the elderly and the disabled, and they were asked whether their municipality should invest more to these services.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, job title, work experience, and basic education.