About the search engine
On this page, you will find information about the search engine developed by the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County and how to use it. The page is intended for all users, including residents, social and healthcare professionals and members of various organisations and associations.
You can use the search engine to find wellbeing and health-related services and activities offered by the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, neighbouring counties and national providers.
Tips for effective searching
Tip 1: Use search term
If you are not searching for a specific activity or service, start your search by using keywords (‘Search by search term’). This avoids overly restrictive filtering, providing a broader range of relevant results— even capturing activities not perfectly categorised but matching your search.
Examples of good keywords: ‘walking’, ‘chess club’, ‘choir’, ‘language course’, ‘friendship activity’.
In addition to this, the ‘Search by search term’ function allows you to use multi-word searches, supported by so-called semantic search: the solution is based on artificial intelligence. This means that words and combinations of words lead to broader and more efficient connections to similar types of content in the search. For example, the search term ‘light physical activity’ generates a large set of search results for various forms of physical activity and easy-to-access activities or services related to physical activity. The descriptions or classifications provided for these search results may not even include the term ‘physical activity’, but the semantic search finds and associates them with physical activity, for instance ‘Sports parks’ and ‘Ice stadiums’.
Additional note for professionals etc.: Using the keyword ‘Elderly’ returns significantly more results than selecting ‘For the Elderly’ in the Topic filter.
Tip 2: Apply the Location filter
The search engine currently provides search results only from the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County or national service providers (nationwide activities or services).
Should you wish to limit your search to only one or a few municipalities in Western Uusimaa, use the Location filter and its municipality selection (choose municipality/municipalities). Please note that in this case nationwide activities or services may be excluded from the search results.
If you wish to include neighbouring wellbeing services counties in your search, please select (click) the option ‘Specify search criteria’ and select ‘Other wellbeing services counties’ under the ‘Area’ filter. This entails that the search results include activities and services both from the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County and neighbouring counties.
Tip 3: Use filters sparingly
Filters can help refine your search results effectively. However, using too many filters simultaneously might excessively narrow your results—or even eliminate them entirely. Apply filters judiciously. Sometimes even a single filter may be problematic if descriptions lack essential details such as age group information.
Why was the search engine created?
The search engine was developed in collaboration with municipalities, associations, federations and social and healthcare professionals in Western Uusimaa. It consolidates information about wellbeing activities, events and services into a single, convenient platform.
Please note: The Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County is responsible solely for the content and accuracy of its own services. Information from other actors is sourced directly from their published materials. The Wellbeing Services County cannot guarantee their accuracy. For precise details, please verify with the service providers directly.
Who is the search engine for?
Currently, the search engine is designed to serve all users equally. It aims to be easily accessible and useful for every resident and employee in Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, as well as for members and staff of municipalities, associations, organisations, federations, parishes and clubs.
Where does the search engine source its information?
The search engine looks for activities and services related to health and wellbeing, stored in the Lähellä.fi online service (cf. https://www.lahella.fi/en-GB(external link) by associations, federations and clubs and the like. In addition, the search engine retrieves service descriptions stored by wellbeing services counties and municipalities from the Finnish Service Catalogue, administered by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV)(external link).
How does the search engine retrieve information?
Data from Lähellä.fi and the Finnish Service Catalogue are updated daily. These daily updates are restricted specifically to wellbeing and health-related topics and service categories. Besides information from Western Uusimaa, the search engine also includes services from the wellbeing services counties in Central Uusimaa, Vantaa and Kerava, Southwest Finland, Kanta-Häme, Helsinki and nationwide providers. Search results prioritise activities and services offered by the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County.