In a troubling incident at a nursing home in Finland, it was revealed that a caregiver blocked a senior resident's ability to call for assistance and concealed the call button in a wardrobe. This concerning behavior came to light in May 2024, shortly after the resident, the mother of special education teacher Johanna Olli, had moved into the Hyvinkää Sahanmäki nursing home. Despite pressing the call button, the resident received no assistance, raising alarms about the nursing home's responsiveness to urgent needs.

Johanna Olli discovered these issues when her mother expressed distress over caregivers not responding to her requests for help with using the restroom. Disturbingly, the situation escalated when Ollis's mother had to call emergency services due to being unable to access the facilities. Olli informed her mother that calling emergency services for such a situation was inappropriate but became involved directly upon visiting and testing the alert button, which yielded no response from the staff. The caregiver's actions were part of a longer-standing issue within the Central Uusimaa welfare area, which had been aware of the malfunctions within the alert system but failed to address them due to budget constraints.

This incident highlights significant gaps in the care provided at nursing homes, raising serious questions about the adequacy of oversight and the safety of residents. The neglect exhibited by the caregiver reflects systemic failures that need urgent attention to prevent such maltreatment in the future, emphasizing the necessity for proper funding and regulation of elder care facilities in Finland.