More and more elderly people are working in elderly care in Västerbotten County. In Umeå, the entire 19 years of work consist of pensioners and in several of the inland municipalities it looks the same - it is the pensioners who clean up the staffing.

- I have compared the last three years and there has been a slight increase, but in total there are 19 years of work that are made up of pensioners and we are happy with that. Otherwise, it can be difficult to get good manpower, says Rune Lidström, who is a controller at Umeå municipality.

- If we only look at Storuman, we probably wouldn't be able to do without the pensioners who jump in and fill up the staffing, says Kerstin Olla Grahn, social manager in Storuman's municipality.

Struggling to get hold of people

Several of the retired nurses have long experience and are very skilled. In Lycksele and Storuman's municipalities, over a couple of years there have been twice as many people entering and working in the elderly care. There, the pensioners make up about ten years' work according to the payroll office at Storuman's municipality.

- For a period we have had a hard time getting people into the elderly care, but thanks to the working pensioners, the situation has resolved, says Ulla-Maria Åkerblom, head of unit at the medical unit in Storuman's municipality.