How do People with Dementia “Age in Place” in Today’s Sweden? A mixed methods study on the adaptation of social care services to the needs and preferences of care recipients and co-habiting partners

Research problem and specific questionsThis project applies a novel approach to investigate how social care services under the Social Service Act are adapted to preferences and needs of older persons living at home with dementia (including their partners).

The project covers the process that starts when a person is granted to receive services, which are communicated to a care provider – who should design and execute the services – and finally reach the receiving older person.This approach differs from previous research on elder care, which has either focused on the purchaser or the provider side of Swedish municipal elder care, that since the mid 90´s has adopted the purchaser-provider model.The research questions of the proposed project focuses on: 1) what specific social care services older persons living at home with dementia are granted; if a dementia diagnosis is needed for some services; and the differences between municipalities; 2) how care providers design, execute and adapt granted services to the needs and preferences of people living with dementia; including differences between municipalities and care provider units; 3) how individual care recipients living with dementia (including co-habiting partners) experience and influence the receiving of services.Data and method The project is innovative in its combination of register-based studies, web surveys, observations and interviews.

The combination is well suited to fulfil the projects overall ambition to provide both generalizable knowledge on the provision of social care services for people living with dementia in Sweden, and in depth, explorative, knowledge on the implementation and receiving of granted services.Relevance and utilisationThe project will provide important, elemental, knowledge on Swedish dementia- and eldercare.

This knowledge is needed (i) as a basis for further studies and (ii) as a contribution to discussions on how future social care can be developed in a way that ensures people living with dementia, and their partners, equality, participation, and dignity in later life.Plan for project realisation The project will be conducted by researchers at Linköping University in close cooperation with the Dementia Association.

The main expenses are salary costs.

A smaller part of the budget is planned for data collection, meetings and workshops with the reference group from the Dementia Association as well as conferences and travels with the aim of disseminating the results.