hoitettava

Hoitettava is a Finnish term formed from the verb hoitaa, used to describe a person who requires care or treatment. It is most commonly encountered in healthcare and social services contexts, where it refers to someone who needs assistance due to illness, disability, or aging. In everyday language, more common words for such a person are potilas (patient) or asiakas (client), but hoitettava appears in records, plans, or formal descriptions to indicate someone who must be cared for.

Grammatically, hoitettava can function as an adjective or, less commonly, as a noun. When used as an adjective, it precedes a noun, for example, hoitettava potilas (the patient to be cared for). In this use, it retains the meaning “to be cared for.” The word is part of a broader Finnish system that uses participial forms to convey state or role, such as hoitova or hoitava, but hoitettava is specifically tied to the need for care rather than the act of caring.

Context and nuance: hoitettava emphasizes dependency on care and is often found in clinical or administrative texts, care plans, and assessments. It can carry a formal or clinical tone and may be perceived as more technical than everyday terms like potilas or asiakas. Care planning and service provision aim to tailor support to the needs of hoitettava individuals, balancing medical treatment, daily assistance, and social support.

See also: potilas, asiakas, hoito, hoitaja, hoitoketju.