Gerd Ahlström

Lund University, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty Member

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Gerd Ahlström, Professor in Nursing Science at Department of Health Sciences, Lund University. She is a specialist of neurological nursing and comprehensive experiences of doing interdisciplinary research with multi-method design (involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection).

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Capacity-building for interdisciplinary research on aging and health – experiences of graduate level initiatives in a national and international context

Abstract Body:Starting out from a joint Nordic collaboration initiative in 2008 resulting in the ... more Abstract Body:Starting out from a joint Nordic collaboration initiative in 2008 resulting in the development of a Nordic Master Program in Gerontology (NordMaG), followed by the establishment of graduate schools integrated with two national excellence centers for aging research in Sweden, in 2014 the Swedish National Graduate School for Competitive Science on Aging and Health (SWEAH) was established. Structured in three presentations, based on experiences gained over the years we will describe and problematize what is needed for efficient capacity-building for interdisciplinary research on aging and health in a national and international context: Aiming to strengthen knowledge development and exchange in research on aging and health already at the Master’s level, through an integrated approach the NordMaG is linked to the specialization in Aging and Health within the Masters’ Program in Medical Sciences at Lund University (LU), Sweden. The Master’s program is truly interdisciplinary, situated in a research intensive and international educational context, enrolling students from health professions such as nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Integrated in the Centre for Aging and Supportive Environments (CASE) at LU, CASE Graduate School has been running for ten years, graduating 17 PhD students. With high quality interdisciplinary research on aging and supportive environments as the overarching ambition, seminars, courses, journal clubs, workshops and other student driven activities have evolved into a coherent program attracting national as well as international PhD students and guest researchers. Sparked by our experiences, in national competition in 2013 the Swedish Research Council granted funding for the development and establishment of SWEAH. This national graduate school offers a student driven curriculum for affiliated PhD students, open courses, postdoctoral training and networking opportunities, within Europe and beyond. With teaching and learning activities tailored to accommodate different disciplines and research traditions, junior researchers have access to unique resources in a national and international context. Contributing to capacity-building for research on aging and health, CASE and SWEAH are partners of the International Summer School on Aging and Health (ISSA). Taken together, these initiatives have been both challenging and rewarding. Spin-off effects in terms of international engagement and collaboration in supervision teams and examination committees have served to strengthen the interdisciplinary competence and capacity for international collaboration of the management teams and teachers involved.Objective 1:After attending this session, participants will be able to reflect on and discuss capacity-building for interdisciplinary higher education on aging and health in an international context. (Less)

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2011

Background: Receiving a cancer diagnosis affects family members as well as the person diagnosed. ... more Background: Receiving a cancer diagnosis affects family members as well as the person diagnosed. Family members often provide support for the sick person in daily life out of duty and love, and may not always think of their own vulnerability to illness. To individualise support for them, family members who are most at risk for becoming ill must be identified. The aim of this study was to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in family members of patients with advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer 3 to 15 months after diagnosis. Methods: Data on mental and physical dimensions of HRQOL were collected from family members of these patients in this prospective quantitative study. Five assessments using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and EuroQol (EQ-5D) were conducted during a 1-year period starting 3 months after diagnosis. Thirty-six family members completed the study, i.e. participated in all five data collections. Results: No statistically significant changes in physical or mental HRQOL within the study group appeared over the 1-year follow-up. Compared with norm-based scores, family members had significantly poorer mental HRQOL scores throughout the year as measured by the SF-36. Family members also scored statistically significantly worse on the EQ-5D VAS in all five assessments compared to the norm-based score. Findings showed that older family members and partners were at higher risk for decreased physical HRQOL throughout the 1-year period, and younger family members were at higher risk for poorer mental HRQOL. Conclusions: It is well known that ill health is associated with poor HRQOL. By identifying family members with poor HRQOL, those at risk of ill health can be identified and supported. Future large-scale research that verifies our findings is needed before making recommendations for individualised support and creating interventions best tailored to family members at risk for illness.

Gerd Ahlström

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