Caring in Community Care

Our vision is to promote and sustain health and well-being in everyday life of families to persons in need of support. Our mission is to: i) support families (caregivers) to promote and sustain family health and well-being, and ii) generate knowledge and evidence for policy making and practice regarding family caregiving and family health. Core values of the group include having a Global-local (Glocal) perspective, inter-professionalism, cross-disciplinary with special attention to sustainability and equity with a futuristic outlook.

Some of the research topics addressed by the group are family caregiving, quality care (god vård), family centered care, dignity, empathy/compassion, social inclusion, family participation in patient care, e-health solutions, ageing in the community, health promotion.

Research focus

The group’s research encompasses community care in the context of ageing, e-Health and mental health from a caring science and public health perspective. Social support including care by informal or family caregivers is a crucial and integral component of care of older persons in a society. The focus of the research group is to address multidimensional challenges of ageing globally, including support to family caregivers, their health and e-nursing. Use of m-Health in community settings, e.g., health and social care services for older persons in municipalities is a primary research focus of the group. The group is also involved in research in Bangladesh on physical and mental health consequences of COVID19 after recovery and experiences of the pandemic.

Ageing and family caregiving: Global population is ageing as never before. Human ageing is complex with multidimensional health challenges of older persons. Organisation of primary health care is set up at different levels in Sweden, such as the Region and municipality level, to meet the needs of older persons in the community.  Social support including care by informal or family caregivers is a crucial and integral component of care of older persons in a society. The focus of the research group is to address multidimensional challenges of ageing including support to family caregivers, their health and e-nursing.

e-Health in community care: Given the rapidly increasing digital literacy in Sweden and globally, e-Health offers a practical platform for health care professionals, by using electronic processes and communication, in providing timely support to populations across the life span including adolescents, youth, young and older adults and as well as family caregivers. Use of e-Health in community settings in both urban and rural areas, e.g. care services for older persons at municipalities, schools, youth clinics, and particularly from the perspective of health promotion and disease prevention is an evolving research focus of the group.

The research group Caring in Community Care consists of researchers in various stages of their career. It is a multi-disciplinary group representing, geriatric nursing, public health, gerontology, family nursing, psychology and palliative care.

Ongoing projects

Stress Alleviating Mobile Application for Caregivers (SAMAC): A Feasibility Study

[PI: Zarina N Kabir]:

The study aims to assess feasibility of providing professional support via a mobile application, Stress Alleviating Mobile Application for Caregivers (SAMAC), by collecting views of caregivers of persons with dementia on its use to alleviate stress. Specific objectives of the study include: Explore caregivers’ views on stress alleviation through a mobile application; explore caregivers’ preference of the features of the SAMAC; test the feasibility of the use of the SAMAC for 8 weeks; test usability of health assessment measures in the SAMAC by caregivers. This project is the result of collaboration with the Faculty of Nursing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

SAMAC in Denmark

[PI: Hanne Konradsen]:

The aim of this study is to explore caregivers’ and dementia coordinators’ experiences of using technology in dementia care in everyday life. The study will furthermore be used to evaluate the possibility of conducting a study in Denmark, testing the same mobile app SAMAC. This project is the result of collaboration with the University of Copenhagen.

Care of Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia (CAFCA): Mobile Application to Alleviate Stress and Improve Quality of Life

[PI: Zarina N Kabir]:

The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of providing professional support through a mobile application (app) in reducing stress depressive symptoms, and loneliness thus improving quality of life of family caregivers of persons with dementia living at home in Sweden. Financed by the Kamprad Foundation and Strategic Research Program in Health Care Sciences (SFO-V), this intervention study is conducted in urban and rural parts of Sweden in collaboration with Umeå University and Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.

Families in Nursing Care

[PI: Hanne Konradsen]:

The study aims to explore nurses' attitudes towards involving families in nursing care. Data have been collected in Sweden, Canada and China using social media as a tool to recruit sample of nurses across the countries. This study is conducted in collaboration with Hong Kong University of Technology and University of Toronto. Furthermore, a study exploring changes in nurses’ attitudes in a Swedish context from 2011 to 2019 are being analysed in collaboration with Linnaeus University.

In Conversation with a Frontline Worker of a Care Home in Sweden

[PI: Zarina N Kabir]

As the world heard the historic declaration of the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic in March 2020, countries had to act rapidly with no previous experience to draw upon. Unlike many countries, Sweden did not impose a lockdown but advised its citizens on precautionary measures, including forbidding visits to care homes. To explore how the pandemic was experienced in the first few months by the frontline workers who found themselves in the midst of the storm, we engaged in a dialogue with one such nurse. This project documents personal experience of a nurse working at a care home in Stockholm during the pandemic.

Rapid Response Research on COVID19 in Bangladesh

[PI at KI: Zarina N Kabir]

The study is conducted in Bangladesh and aims to investigate i) the socio-demographic factors associated with COVID19 infections; ii) post-recovery consequence of COVID19 on mental and physical health of patients; iii) knowledge, attitude and practice in relation to Coronavirus and COVID19 among family members of COVID19 patients and frontline health workers in Bangladesh. The project is result of a collaboration with a humanitarian organisation in Bangladesh, Sajida Foundation.

Future care for older adults in home care and care home – associations between home care staff perceived job strain and older persons’ experiences of the quality of home care services.

[PI Home Help component: Anne-Marie Boström]

This project investigates the associations between perceived job strain of home care staff including work environment and older persons’ experiences of the quality of home care services provided by staff. A survey was conducted regarding job strain and work environment among home care staff in 5 municipalities. From these five municipalities data is complemented from the Brukarundersökning – the User survey conducted annually by the National Board of Health and Social Welfare in Sweden.

Constipation among Swedish older Adults (CASA) project

Responsible: Anne-Marie Boström, Hanne Konradsen, Veronica Lundberg

The overall aim of the CASA project is to determine the prevalence and incidence of constipation among older patients admitted to geriatric clinics in Stockholm, and to explore health care professionals’ experiences and current practice of preventing and treating constipation among older patients. The project started fall 2017.

Family living with heart failure: An international study focusing on family functioning, family health and social support from nurses

Responsible: Hanne Konradsen

The aim is to examine if family functioning and family health in patients with heart failure and their partners is associated with their own and their partners’ perceived social support from nurses. The aims of the project are i) to explore the experiences of family functioning in relation to heart failure among Iranian immigrant families, and ii) to compare the family functioning, family health and social support from nurses among Danish, Icelandic and Iranian patients with heart failure and their family members. The project is ongoing.

Families’ Importance in Nursing Care –Nurses Attitudes (FINC-NA)

Responsible: Hanne Konradsen, Anne-Marie Boström, Zarina Nahar Kabir

This project explores nurses’ attitudes towards involving families in nursing care. It uses a snowball sampling technique through social media. Data collection are ongoing in Sweden, China, Hong Kong and Canada

Future Care for Older Adults in Home Care and Care Home

Responsible: Anne-Marie Boström, Zarina Nahar Kabir, Helen Olt

Future Care is a research program funded by FORTE for 2017-2019. Lena Borell (Professor at the Division of Occupational Therapy) is PI and Anne-Marie Boström is Co-Investigator. The research program intends to contribute to the development of knowledge-based services for older adults’ opportunities for participation in society. The program envisions a future where persons with impairments can age in a society and experience full participation in valued ways of life, despite health or social losses, functional limitations, entry into a new country, or new digital-mediated online communities. Over one third of all older adults living in Europe over the age of 75 years old have impairments that restrict them in daily living. This has a profound impact on everyday life for many older adults and also on the cost of public funded services.

The overall aim of the research program is to contribute new knowledge for the enabling of new services to support senior’s participation in two settings, living at home or in care homes. The program is on-going with five sub-projects. Read more

Implementation of Evidence Based Knowledge in Home – Care

Responsible: Anne-Marie Boström, Ewa Stenwall

The goal of this project is to implement and evaluate a model (the KISAM model) for a strategic framework for promoting competence in continuing translation of evidence-based knowledge to improve the quality of care provided to persons in home care. The project is targeted to identify knowledge gap in care providers’ competence for practicing evidence-based knowledge translation on a routine basis. This project is investigating a strategic framework for the practice of translating research based knowledge into care for older adults. The data collection is finished. Data analyses and writing of publications are ongoing. Three publications are currently in press.

Implementing academia in dementia care

Responsible: Berit Seiger Cronfalk

The aim is to introduce and integrate academia to a nursing home for people with dementia diseases. There is a need to integrate academia and clinical practice while caring for people with dementia. Bräcke diakoni and Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College (ESH) has a well-established and close cooperation as Bräcke diakoni is part owner of ESH. This offers unique opportunities to bring together research and practice within nursing home care. This project aims at working in collaboration with employees and researchers to create new ways of working and to implement evidence based knowledge and structure in the organisation. The model is designed as a circular process and is based on each person's needs, experiences and life experiences as well as the employee's competence to facilitate ideas in order to meet each persons´ needs.

Massage following stroke among older patients

Responsible: Berit Seiger Cronfalk

The aim of the project is to examine the physiological and psychological effects of soft massage treatment (tactile massage) after stroke in geriatric patients, i.e. persons 65 years or older. The long-term goal is to improve care, treatment and function after stroke in older people. Research question: Does soft massage affect measureable psychological and physiological effects on symptoms and post-stroke function in patients 65 years and older. Preliminary results indicate that touching through stimulation of CT-fibers and soft massage can have normalizing effects on pulse and blood pressure as well as to contribute to pain relief, improved sleep, decreased anxiety, and increased well-being compared to the control group.

Older Persons’ Exercise and Nutrition (OPEN) study

Responsible: Anne-Marie Boström

The aim of the OPEN study is to evaluate the effects of the sit-to-stand exercise, in combination with a protein-rich nutritional supplement, on physical function and independence in frail older persons living in nursing homes. The older person’s perceptions and experiences of the intervention and the staff’s experiences of supporting the older person to complete the intervention will also be explored. The data collection is completed. Data analyses and and writing of publications are ongoing. The study protocol for the OPEN study was published in 2018.

Perceived symptoms and coping strategies in carers to people with Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer´s disease

Responsible: Ewa Stenwall

The aim of this study is to investigate and describe the experiences of careers to people with Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer´s disease to identify similarities and differences between the symptoms and coping strategies chosen. The data collection is finished. Data analyses and writing of publications are ongoing.

Reaching out to family health (REACH-FH)

Responsible: Hanne Konradsen

An international research collaboration between researchers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden, has been established. The group meets regularly and are working on joint publications within family nursing. Funding applications for various projects are being developed in co-operation with 4 NGO's., (AGE Platform Europe, European Centre for social welfare policy and research, Eurocareers – European Association Working for Careers and ESFR European Society on Family Relation – interdisciplinary research society).

Studies about older persons with heart failure

Responsible: Nana Waldréus

Thirst in persons with heart failure- an international study

In collaboration with about 15 countries worldwide, the Thirst Distress Scale for persons with heart failure will be translated, and data will be collected on thirst and factors related with thirst.

Thirst, appetite, symptom burden, and quality of life in elderly persons with heart failure

A study with four heart failure centres in Sweden will be conducted with the aim to describe thirst, appetite, symptom burden, symptom clusters and quality of life in persons with heart failure.

Alleviate thirst distress in persons with heart failure

An intervention study will be conducted to prevent and alleviate thirst distress in persons with heart failure.

Physical activity and nutrition therapy for elderly persons with heart failure

In collaboration with Stockholms Sjukhem a randomized controlled trial will be planned. The aim is to describe effects of individual nutrition therapy combined with physical activity on rehospitalization, frailty, thirst, symptom burden and quality of life in elderly frail persons with heart failure.

Transitions related to early onset dementia. From diagnosis to end of life

Responsible: Anne-Marie Boström, Berit Seiger Cronfalk

The overall aim of this project is to increase understanding of how people with early-onset dementia disease and their families experience transitions during the course of the disease. The project started fall 2018.

Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC)

Responsible: Anne-Marie Boström

TREC is a Canadian research program led by professor Carole Estabrooks, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. The aim of the program is to develop solutions for improving the quality of care provided to nursing home residents, enriching the work life of their caregivers, and enhancing system efficiency. TREC is a research partnership of researchers, knowledge users, policy makers, and citizens which aims to produce knowledge that improves elder care. Read more

External funding

Kamprad Foundation

Karolinska Institutet Engagement Grant

Karolinska Institutet Verify Impact Grant

Karolinska Institutet and Hong Kong Polytechnic University Collaborative Grant

Division of Nursing Strategic Grant

Strategic Research Area-Health Care Science, Karolinska Institutet

Research group leader

Group members

Collaboration