The Ageing and Social Change research environment

Researchers coming from numerous academic disciplines within these fields integrate their views in examining issues related to welfare systems, social structure, technology, economy, migration, gender, health, disability, care, geography, architecture and other areas.

To cover this wide range appropriately, the research environment initiates scientific partnerships with many national and international actors in the field of ageing and invites further collaboration.

Methods and analytical tools

Researchers in the environment apply and develop advanced methods and analytical tools within the framework of the disciplines involved.

The combination of advanced methods, from statistical analysis to qualitative studies of different kinds, makes it possible to pursue a thorough investigation of the institute’s research interests.

Focus on the relationship between life-course and social change

The main focus of the research on ageing and later life is on the relationship between the life-course and social change in three broad areas.

Thematic area I:Ageing and social structure

Social inequality of ageing, social integration, social exclusion and changing welfare systems

Thematic area II: Ageing between health and disease

Health, morbidity and care, support needs and living with morbidity

Thematic area III: Ageing in context

Changing social, technological and spatial environments.

The research environment is involved in the Swedish National Graduate School for Competitive Science on Ageing and Health (SWEAH).

Moreover, the envuronment is closely linked to the Journal of Aging and Social Change (JASC), which is edited at The Division of Ageing and Social Change, ASC. ASC is also organizer of the Interdisciplinary Seminar on Ageing Research (ASC-ISAR).

The environment is part of The Socio-gerontechnology network, which brings together scholars from various social science and design disciplines interested in critical studies of ageing and technology, as well as MIRAI 2.0, which is a collaboration between 19 Swedish and Japanese universities, aiming to contribute to long-term research collaboration and to promote Sweden and Japan as nations of world-leading large-scale research infrastructure.

The aim of postgraduate studies is to extend and deepen the student’s theoretical and methodological knowledge and understanding of ageing and later life as a research area.

Doctoral research projects

Doctoral studies are primarily connected to ongoing research projects at ASC and the university’s formal regulations for dissertations apply.

Dementia and Learning

People with dementia are often portrayed as non-competent members in interaction. One largely unquestioned notion is that people with dementia are incapable of new learning. My thesis challenges this by exploring interactional changes over time for people living with dementia who use tablet computers without having any prior experiences of this.

Meso Perspectives on Age Discrimination in Late Working Life in Sweden

Gülin Öylü.

This project analyses mechanisms of age discrimination in late working life with a focus of the role of companies and local governments. It analyzes working life trajectories, employment outcomes in Sweden using a life course perspective in order to understand the dynamics of age discrimination in late working life.   

Eldercare for Older Adults Aged 65 and over with and without Dementia: the Case of Sweden

Atiqur Rahman.

The growing number of people aged 65+ living with dementia implies an increase in the demand for eldercare services. My thesis takes social policy research perspective to investigate and discuss the municipal regulated eldercare services directed to this population in Sweden

Post doc research projects and activities

ASC offers postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to develop their academic career within an inspiring and encouraging research context after receiving their PhD at a university in Sweden or abroad.

The Effect of Exclusion from Social Relations on Cognitive Decline Trajectories, Productive Behaviours, and Independent Living Capacity among Older Persons in Sweden 

George Pavlidis.

This project examines the social and individual factors that that lead to exclusion from social relations and therefore in decrements through adverse cognitive decline trajectories in productive behaviours and independent living capacity among the older in Sweden.

Did We Forget the Frail People? The Impact of Study Design on Estimated Differences in Health within and across European Countries

Susanne Kelfve.

Register database and cross-cultural differences in gender and work inequalities across Europe

Lina Homman.

Lina Homman is currently mainly involved in updating and maintaining a large longitudinal register database for all of Sweden with a focus on ageing and social change. In addition to this, she is involved in the larger projects EIWO and GENPATH. Both projects relate to cross-cultural differences in gender and work inequalities across Europe.