Health literacy and integrated care (Janne Agerholm)
Our research focuses on how the health and social care system can meet the needs of an ageing population. We are studying equity in health and health care, the interaction between health and social care services and health literacy from an individual and organisational perspective.
We are interested in understanding how the health and social care system can meet the needs of an ageing population in a sustainable way. In one of our projects, we are exploring the interplay between health and social care services in terms of spending. By linking population-based registers to measures of care expenditure in the last year of life, we want to gain insight into how care resources are used and how expenditures in health care and social care are associated. This can help highlight resource-intensive areas and uncover inefficiencies at the border between health and social care.
We are also interested in understanding how to achieve a more integrated person-centred care. In a project about the life circumstances of first-time social health care users (65 years and older) we are combining health and social care data to better understand their need for coordination of care. We are also interviewing first-time social health care users about what lead to a decision on applying for social care and to what degree their expectations and needs were meet.
Being health literacy responsive as a health care professional is an important component of providing person-centred care. However, very little is known of the level of health literacy in the Swedish population. By combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches we are investigating the level of health literacy in the older population in Sweden, as well as older people experience of main barriers and facilitators for communicating with care providers and manage their health and care needs.
Ongoing projects
Health literacy among older adults: Exploring older people's prerequisites for understanding health information and making informed health choices
The project aim is to gain knowledge on HL in the older population. In this project we assess to what degree the older population in Sweden is health literate, identify groups that might face challenges due to inadequate HL and explore what older people experience as prerequisites for understanding health information and managing their health and care needs as well as communicate with caregivers.
Life situation and care needs among first time recipients of social care services
The overall aim of the project is to increase the knowledge about what characterises the life circumstances of older people who are granted social care for the first time and to explore their experiences of how the services provided correspond to their needs and expectations. This project is done in collaboration with Äldrecentrum
Untangling the relationship between health and social care spending for older people in their last years of life
The overarching aim of this project is to investigate the use of health and social care services from an expenditure perspective, to increase the knowledge of the interplay between different care resources and explore whether socio-demographic factors influence the use of care in the last year of life.
Projects in collaboration with other research groups
In the wake of Covid-19: How can the structure and quality of health and social care for older people with complex care needs in Region Stockholm be improved?
The overarching aim is to examine and identify possible challenges and effects (structure, quality, and satisfaction) of integrated care (available in Norrtälje municipality) and standard care (provided in Södertälje and Stockholm municipalities) in Region Stockholm.
Organization and response to covid-19 of municipal health and social care services for older people – impact on mortality and health care utilization in Region Stockholm
The purpose of the study is to analyse how the local response to covid-19 by health and social care services, among community living as well as in residential living, varies and impacts on mortality (in covid-19 and total) and emergency health care utilization among older (aged 70+ years) persons in Norrtälje and Södertälje municipality and other selected municipalities and settings in Region Stockholm with different arrangements for care of older persons with greater health and social care needs.
Ageing in place – from policy to practice. Consequences of the de-institutionalisation of Swedish eldercare for older people and their family members
The aim of this study is to understand the ideas, motives and driving forces behind the Swedish ageing in place policy and practice. How have the eligibility criteria and individual characteristics for being admitted to municipal institutional care changed over time and how has the length of stay in care homes changed in recent years?