During the two days senior researchers from the SIA project evalutated the progress of the project and discussed upcoming research collaborations and strategies for reaching stakeholders and end-users during the second half of the project, 2019-2020.

The program included presentations from two invited speakers: Kjetil van der Wel, from OsloMet presented the work from the Nordic register research: Experiences from the C-LIFE infrastructure project and Fredric Halvorsen from the Communication Office at OsloMet, who talked about why and how research findings could be presented using a format of film.

The two presentations and reports from our own research on social inequalties in ageing contributed to stimulating scientific discussions and a varity of dissimination ideas.

We thank our two hostesses Marijke Venstraa and Marja Aartsen for organising the meeting and the nice dinner.

Upcoming scientific meeting in Oslo, Oct 25-26, 2018

During two days, researchers from the four work packages will meet in Oslo to evaluate the progress of the project so far, and discuss upcoming research collaborations and strategies for reaching stakeholders and end-users during the second half of the project period.

Nordic Congress of Gerontology

During May 2-4, many SIA researchers travelled to Oslo to participate in the 24th Nordic Congress of Gerontology. Several symposia and many presentations were held by SIA researchers. It was also a nice opportunity for meeting up and continuing our ongoing collaborations within SIA.

Mid-term conference for the project “Social Inequalities in Ageing”

Almost halfway through the Social Inequalities in Ageing programme, a conference was held to mark this mid-point. The “SIA mid-term conference” took place in Stockholm, on February 15-17, 2018. The objective was to strengthen the Nordic research on inequalities in life course influences on health, health trends among the oldest old, health care utilization, and reforms within long-term care. Both distinguished and upcoming researchers participated in the conference, presenting work they had done within the SIA-programme or on subjects relevant to the project. Hildegard Theobald from Universität Vechta, Germany, and Mauricio Avendano from King’s College, London, UK, were invited as keynote speakers.

– The conference was, in my opinion, a great success. It is of utmost importance to have mid-size conferences of this type in which leading researchers and junior researchers meet and discuss crucial aspects of social inequalities of ageing, says Johan Fritzell, PI of the SIA-programme.

During three days, researchers from all the Nordic countries will meet to present and discuss recent findings regarding social inequalities in aging. The full program can be found here.

The European Public Health Conference takes place in Stockholm during November 1-4. On Saturday November 4th, the SIA project has arranged a workshop entitled Social Inequalities in Ageing, arranged by Johan Fritzell and Neda Agahi, with the following presentations:

The ageing populations in the Nordic countries: mortality and longevity from 1990-2014
Terese Sara Høj Jørgensen – Denmark

Socioeconomic Position Across the Life-Course and Cognitive Ability in Midlife
Rikke Lund – Denmark

Change and Stability: Trends in Health and Function Among the Oldest Old in Finland and Sweden
Stefan Fors – Sweden

Nordic eldercare – weak universalism becoming weaker?
Marta Szebehely – Sweden

Market oriented health care reforms and equity in access in health care in the Nordic countries – impact on the ageing population
Ilmo Keskimäki – Finland

The abstracts can be found here: https://ephconference.eu/documents/stockholm_2017/8.K.pdf

In late July (23-27), more than 6 000 participants from all corners of the world gathered in San Francisco for the 21^st world congress of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, making it the biggest international meeting on aging research ever. Several SIA researchers from all Nordic countries attended the meeting, gave presentations, chaired symposiums, and attended network meetings. One symposium was specifically arranged under the SIA brand: Trends in Longevity, Health, and Functioning Among Very Old People – The Nordic Case (Chaired by Marja Jylhä and Stefan Fors). The symposium included presentations on demographic trends, health trends, health inequalities, and end-of-life care in the Nordic countries as well as a discussion with the audience.

The third Transforming care conference was held in Milan in June 2017 with participation of more than 100 delegates, and quite a number of participants from the SIA project. The conference had a focus on innovation and sustainability in care policies and practices, for children, older people and people with disability. Keynote speakers were Professor August Österle, Professor Chiara Saraceno, and – from the SIA project – Professor Anneli Anttonen. The conference included also the following thematic panels: Care policy and institutional setting, Innovation and trade-offs in care services, Intergenerational care arrangements and informal care, Care work and changing care arrangements, Care policy in different care regimes. Find more information about the conference and the papers presented here, http://www.transforming-care.net/  Also note that the 4th Transforming care conference will be held in Copenhagen in June 24-26, 2019. The conference series is organized by Professor Costanzo Ranzi and Professor Tine Rostgaard.

The first SIA workshop for junior researchers was organized May 22-23 in Stockholm, at the Aging Research Center. Thirteen doctoral students and postdocs from three Nordic countries participated. In addition to providing the opportunity to get to know junior researchers working within the SIA-project*, the workshop aimed to give junior researchers a chance to present and receive feedback on their work, and comment on other PhD students’ papers. For example, the SIA junior researchers presented papers on intergenerational social inequality in physical function and mortality; geographical and socioeconomic inequality in preventable hospitalizations in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden; and, the association between prolonged working life and physical functioning in old age.

The first day started with a presentation of the SIA-project (Johan Fritzell), a talk about inequity in health care by Professor Bo Burström, followed by six presentations by the junior researchers. The day ended with a dinner.

On day two, the presentations and discussions by the junior researchers continued and we also had the opportunity to hear Professor Marja Jylhä talk about the promises and challenges of multidisciplinary research. The workshop closed with a feedback discussion and ideas for the future. The participants were very satisfied with the workshop, and we all agreed that it should continue. The next SIA workshop is scheduled to be held in autumn 2018.

SLLS in Bamberg, October 5-8, 2016

Researchers from the SIA-project presented their research at a symposium during the sixth annual conference of the Society for Longitudinal and Life-course Studies (SLLS) in Bamberg, Germany, October 5-8, 2016

Inequalities in Ageing and Retirement
Convenor & Chair: Johan Fritzell, Stockholm University, Sweden

Health and Retirement Age: Investigating Birth Cohort and Gender Differences in Sweden
Harpa Sif Eyjólfsdóttir, Stockholm University, Sweden

Retirement – The Great Equalizer: Socioeconomic Status, Gender and Health
Maja Weemes Grøtting, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway

Retirement for Better or Worse?
Carin Lennartsson, Stockholm University, Sweden

Who Benefits From Retirement? Socio-Economic Differences in Behavioural Change
Neda Agahi, Stockholm University, Sweden

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June

23rd Nordic Congress of Gerontology (NKG) will be held June 19-22 in Tampere, Finland.
Researchers from Social Inequalities in Ageing will present their research during a symposium and with posters.

Symposium at the NKG Conferance

Social change and health inequalities in old age
Symposium organizer: Stefan Fors
Presentations by Linda Enroth, Maja Weemes Grøtting, Charlotte Juul Nilsson, Stefan Fors

Presentations

Early life circumstances and physical performance in late midlife
Gitte Lindved Petersen, Erik Lykke Mortensen, Naja Hulvej Rod, Theis Lange, Jolene Lee Masters Pedersen, Rikke Lund

Intergenerational effects of body size on inflammation among offspring in late middle age
Jolene Masters Pedersen, Erik Lykke Mortensen, Rikke Lund

Social relations, loneliness and physical capability
Rikke Lund, Marie Pil Jensen, Jørgen Holm Petersen, Jelena Laban, Charlotte Juul Nilsson

Does socioeconomic position modify the effect of education to preventive home visitors on mobility limitations in older people?
Charlotte Juul Nilsson, Anne Friis Krarup, Volkert Siersma, Mikkel Vass, Kirsten Avlund

Time trend in Alzheimer diagnoses and the association between geographical distance to an Alzheimer clinic and Alzheimer diagnoses: A Danish nationwide study
Terese Sara Høj Jørgensen, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Gunnar Gislason, Charlotte Andersson, Ellen Holm

Posters

Health and retirement: Investigating birth cohort and gender difference
Harpa Sif Eyjólfsdóttir, Neda Agahi, Johan Fritzell & Carin Lennartsson

Socioeconomic differences in mobility impairment and psychological distress over the life course – do inequalities increase or level out?
Neda Agahi, Stefan Fors and Benjamin Shaw

Stressful social relations, social support and low grade inflammation
Rikke Lund, Signe Hovmand Nørgaard, Else Foverskov, Per Kragh Andersen, Charlotte Juul Nilsson

The next SIA steering group meeting will also take place in Tampere during the conferance on June 20.

2015

July

The SIA-project officially starts July 1st, 2015, according to the main contract with NordForsk.
http://ki-su-arc.se/agreement-on-29-msek-to-sia-project-signed/

 October

SIA-project´s 1st Steering committee meeting will be held (Skype), October 27, 2015

Kick-off for the health and welfare programme, October 22, 2015

December

Kick-off meeting in Stockholm, December 14-15, 2015