health care Arrival examinations • The patients arriving at a geriatric psychiatric ward also underwent an examination for somatic health. The ward also had guidelines for identifying signs of domestic abuse and used the Mini Nutritional Assessment. The Ombudsman found the holistic approach to the care of patients adopted at the ward to be highly commendable. The Ombudsman also referred to the importance of the nutritional assessment of the elderly patients and encouraged the hospital to investigate any causes of poor nutritional status. • A ward did not conduct routine somatic examinations on patients on arrival. The Ombudsman stated that it is a widely accepted view that persons with mental health disorders also have more somatic illnesses than the average population, which is why it is important that the somatic conditions are also recorded and treated appropriately. The Ombudsman recommended that the patients receive a somatic health examination on arrival. • A ward did not examine patients on arrival for signs of injuries from violence. The Ombudsman noted that some of the patients arrived escorted by the police and that the patients may have been subject to the use of force during transportation, causing physical injuries. The CPT has also drawn attention, during their visit to Finland, to deficiencies in the practice of recording injuries allegedly resulting from abuse. The Ombudsman recommended that injuries and other signs of abuse detected on arrival be documented as soon as possible, the patient’s health permitting. Rehabilitation • A hospital had introduced dog-assisted occupational therapy as a new form of therapy. The therapy is used for learning interactional skills and developing tactile tolerance, as well as cognitive skills. Patients, including some in isolation facilities, have received visits from dog-assisted therapists. The Ombudsman found it to be a positive development that the hospital had increased the use of occupational rehabilitation techniques following the statements issued by the CPT. 89