Associate Professor Elisa Tiilikainen works at the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. “My work includes a wide range of research and teaching, in particular on the issues of ageing, loneliness, old age exclusion and social well-being,” she describes. Elisa Tiilikainen is involved in the Neuro-Ethics and Law Research Team and in several research projects on ageing. As a Principal Investigator and Work Package Leader, she works for SOLDEX, HAIDI and GERIT projects.
The GERIT research project, which was funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, examined complex needs of older people from the perspective of services, especially gerontological social work. “There is a particular need for gerontological social work in an ageing society, as the risks of ageing, retirement, illness and social networks being reduced may exacerbate social problems,” explains Elisa, who has led the UEF’s Work Package in the larger research consortium.
The newly launched project HAIDI, which is part of the Future Challenges in the Nordics program, examines whether citizens’ equal rights and opportunities for good health are being realized in a situation where services and society are largely digitalized. The research will focus on older people aged 75 and above, many of whom have been excluded from digital social and health services. In addition to Finland, the research data is collected in Denmark and Sweden.
The project SOLDEX, funded by the Academy of Finland, led by Tiilikainen, examines formal home care from the perspective of social exclusion. “We are interested in older home care clients experiences of social exclusion, the factors impacting social exclusion in home care settings and how old-age social exclusion addressed in the current service system and legislation,” says Elisa. This multidisciplinary project combining social gerontology, elder law, and health economics also examines the effectiveness of “day activity service” using a quasi-experimental trial.
“With the CAIDE project carried out by THL, UEF and Karolinska Institutet, I was able to participate in multidisciplinary neuroscience collaboration in a study related to Covid-19 pandemic,” says Elisa, who is also involved in the Neuro-Innovation doctoral programme. “It has been rewarding to have a wide range of researchers in different fields, in particular on issues related to ageing. With the activities of the Kuopio Brain & Mind network, multidisciplinary cooperation will certainly become even stronger.”
Neuro-Ethics and Law Research Team: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/neuro-ethics-and-law-research-team/
Demography and Democracy – Healthy Ageing in a Digital World (HAIDI): https://futurenordics.org/projects/demography-and-democracy-healthy-ageing-digital-world
Old-age social exclusion in home care – prevalence, meanings & intervention (SOLDEX): https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/old-age-social-exclusion-in-home-care-prevalence-meanings-intervention-soldex/
GERIT – gerontological social work and complex needs of older adults: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/gerit-gerontological-social-work-and-complex-needs-of-older-adults/
CAIDE – Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/tutkimusryhma/caide-cardiovascular-risk-factors-aging-and-dementia/
Neuro-Innovation: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/neuro-innovation/
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Kuopio Brain & Mind is part of a nation-wide Neurocenter Finland researcher network. For more information, please visit www.neurocenterfinland.fi