Personal Assistants’ Day was celebrated yesterday – News of the first prize got the winner of the writing contest Uma Louhola speechless
Personal Assistants’ Day was celebrated for the first time on 19 November 2025 in Tampere. The theme day was initiated by Trade Union JHL.
The winner of the personal assistants’ writing contest that JHL and Insurance Company Turva organised earlier this autumn is Uma Louhola. The contest was part of celebrating Personal Assistants’ Day.
The panel of judges praised the way the winning text wove together the author’s own career and describing the significance of the work.
“I was speechless and gasped for breath when I heard that I had won. It was absolutely fantastic! I wanted to offer a more detailed view of all the different aspects of this work that ranges from practical tasks to sharing big emotions,” Louhola tells.
“Olen arjessa silminä, korvina, käsinä ja jalkoina. Olen auttamassa siellä, minne ei itse ylletä tai mihin omat voimat eivät riitä.
Olen ongelmanratkaisija ja arjen niksipirkka. Olen lohduttava olkapää mustissa murheissa ja yhdessä onnenhetkissä iloitseva kanssaihminen.”
Almost 30 entries submitted to the writing contest
The second prize in the writing contest was awarded to Marjut Mähönen. The panel commented that Mähönen’s breathtakingly beautiful text paints an adorable picture of the relationship between a personal assistant and the user of assistance:
“Yöpakkaset uhkasivat lähestyä ja huomasin voimiesi vähenevän, mutta sitkeästi keräsimme viimeiset perunat maasta. Ihmettelimme yhdessä, kun Punarinta-lintunen halusi osallistua talkoisiin ja alati hyppelehti perunapenkissä ja välillä asettui laulamaan hennolla äänellään viereiseen omenapuuhun, aivan lähellemme. Jotenkin aavistin, että tämä linnunlaulu on syksymme sävel.
Jätit jälkeesi muistot, jotka palaavat yhä vahvana mieleeni, oli kevät tai syksy. Kiitos kaikesta ystäväni.”
“At best, we build life-long relationships in work where we live and share the client’s everyday life,” Mähönen sums up.
Users of assistance are human beings around the clock.
The winner of the third prize was Rosa Ahlstedt, who was not able to attend the event. According to the panel, Rosa described the diversity of a personal assistant’s work in a wonderful way.
“Often this is not seen as real work, but it should be. Users of assistance are human beings around the clock,” Ahlstedt points out.
“Minä olen siinä hetkessä, häntä varten. Tehden juuri siitä päivästä sellaisen mistä jää hyvä mieli, erityisesti hänelle. Tämä työ on näkymätöntä suurelle yleisölle, mutta maailman suurinta hänelle kuka apua tarvitsee.”
The total number of texts submitted to the writing contest was 27. Insurance Company Turva awarded the winners with gift cards, and JHL awarded product prizes to ten writers who received honourable mentions.
The panel members were personal assistant Tarja Al Hanan, Turva’s Key Account Manager Tiina Neuvonen, and specialist in occupation-specific activities Sami Haapakoski and senior bargaining specialist Laura Tuominen from JHL.
Personal assistants will be celebrated annually from now on
The winners of the writing contest were awarded in the Personal Assistants’ Day event on 19 November. This theme day that has been initiated by JHL was celebrated for the first time this year, in Turva’s head office in Tampere.
The President of JHL Håkan Ekström reminded in his speech that personal assistants are the silent but indispensable force that makes a functioning everyday life, independent living, participation and equality possible for many people.
“They do work that is not seen in the headlines, but it is seen in every day, every encounter, and every person to whom they provide support and safety.”
The CEO of Turva Ville Raunio stressed that social responsibility is an important value for Turva. In social responsibility Turva focuses on reducing loneliness and strengthening a sense of community.
“This goes very well together with highlighting the importance of personal assistants’ work. We are happy that our long collaboration with the trade union makes it possible to realise these things in practice.”
In future, personal assistants are going to be celebrated in November every year. The objective of this theme day is to increase visibility and appreciation of the work. Personal assistants make a functioning everyday life possible for people with disabilities
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