Abstract
- In May of 2014 a short-term study abroad experience was conducted in Finland through a course offered at Indiana State University (ISU). Students and faculty from ISU and Eastern Illinois University participated in the experience, which was created to facilitate a cross-cultural comparison of long-term care settings in the U.S. and Finland. With its outstanding system of caring for the health and social needs of its aging populace, Finland is a logical model to examine when considering ways to improve the quality of life for older adults in the U.S. who require care. Those participating in the course visited a series of long-term care facilities in the region surrounding Terre Haute, Indiana, then travelled to Lappeenranta, Finland to visit parallel sites. Through limited-participation observation and semi-structured interviews, similarities and differences in experiences, educations, and policies affecting long-term care workers in the U.S. and Finland were identified and are described here.