Magdalena Elmersjö
Associate Professor
Senior Lecturer
Associate Professor in Social Work, Senior Lecturer in Social Work
Social Sciences
ME108
With a professional background as both a social worker (socionom) and a certified nursing assistant, I have many years of experience in eldercare, experience that has shaped the foundation of my research trajectory. In 2014, I earned my PhD from Linnaeus University with the dissertation The Question of Competence in Elder Care: How Perceptions of Competence Shape Care Work, Care Needs, and Care Relations, in which I examined how notions of competence influence care practices and relationships. This study has continued to serve as an important point of departure in my research, which today centers on the organization, professions, and relational dimensions of eldercare.
My research primarily focuses on the work tasks, responsibilities, and conditions that shape the everyday professional lives of care workers, managers, and caseworkers in eldercare. I am also interested in the lived experiences of older adults, both those with extensive care needs and those who receive limited or no formal support. Methodologically, I work mainly with qualitative approaches and participant‑oriented methods. For me, research is not only a way to produce knowledge but also a means to foster understanding, dialogue, and development in practice.
Key research interests and theoretical frameworks
- Swedish eldercare and feminist care theories
- Social work with older adults and theories of radical and structural social work
- Older adults’ position in society, including theories of marginalization, place, and ageism
- Moral stress and the moral dimensions of care