Isabelle von Saenger

I am a PhD student at the Karolinska Institutet and a member of the social gerontology group at Aging Research Center (ARC). I have a master's degree in Public Health from Stockholm University with a focus on health inequalities and a BA in Sociology from the same university. I coordinated the 27th Nordic Gerontology Congress (27NKG) at Karolinska Institutet in June 2024. I am also affiliated with the National Graduate School on Ageing and Health - SWEAH.

The overall aim of my doctoral work is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the family’s role as a provider of cash and care over the life course and how these transfers influence gender and socioeconomic inequalities within and across generations. My research interest concerns intergenerational relationships in old age, loneliness and ageism. I am also interested in how cultural expressions and health are related, especially in old age.

The master thesis explored the role of perceived teacher support on student health and whether schools' student composition and gender made a difference in this relationship. The bachelor thesis focused on differences in health among Swedish and foreign-born based on socioeconomic factors, social network and family relationships.

Pedagogical activities include supervising and mentoring master students, teaching medical students and staff at KI how to interact with patients, their families and how to handle ethical dilemmas as well as lecturing and being a seminar leader in educational settings both within and outside of KI. I initiated and ran a collaboration project between ARC and Stockholm School of Photography resulting in a short documentary and a photo exhibition
Who is "older" in Sweden today?