Scholarship to enhance the well-being of elderly with music
Madeleine Svärd received the cheque from Kjell Klasson to the project "Music to Remember".
On 2 February, the Aktiestinsen Scholarship Fund 2022 was awarded to "Music to Remember", a project that aims to investigate whether the health and well-being of elderly people can be influenced by listening to music and discussing their musical experiences in groups. The recipient is Madeleine Svärd from Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan in Nässjö. Co-applicants are Eva Timén from Jönköping County and Ann Johansson from the School of Health and Welfare.
The ceremony began with lunch with this year's as well as the 2020 and 2021 recipients. Dennis Peterson, representative of the Foundation, then spoke about Aktiestinsen Lennart Israelsson. Aktiestinsen donated millions of SEK to various foundations, one of which was the School of Health and Welfare at Jönköping University (JU). The grants will be used to promote development work and research on health promotion for older people's activity and health in the field of occupational therapy. Madeleine Svärd then received a cheque from Kjell Klasson of the Foundation.
Culture strengthens the health of the elderly
Listening to music is a cultural activity that can promote both mental and physical health. In "Music to Remember", participants will meet in study circles and experience music that evokes memories and can affect their well-being. Participants will answer questionnaires to see what positive effect the meetings have. The project also aims to highlight the importance of being part of a social context and the right to lifelong learning. The stories will then be collected and disseminated to, among others, the School of Health and Welfare, where the method can be used in teaching.
Listened to successful projects
During the ceremony, former recipients presented their completed projects. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 project had to be implemented a year later, the project went to "Elderly in safety" and Madeleine Svärd together with the emergency services in Nässjö. Elderly people have been given study circles to discuss various themes around safety and the aim was to increase safety which in turn increases good health. 2021 scholarship winner was Ann-Britt Grändamark and co-applicant Sandra Rosell with the project "Existential health as the body ages and the soul matures". Participants have met in groups and individually to discuss existential issues with the aim of making them feel better, that the conversations will increase their vitality.
In 2021, Therese Bielsten and co-applicants Eva Timén and Linda Johansson also received a grant to carry out the project "Voices through photos - understanding loneliness and community through older people's photography". The project will be included in a report together with three other studies at the School of Health and Welfare.
All recipients were very grateful for the opportunity to carry out their projects and noticed an appreciation from the elderly when they visited them.
Facts The Aktiestinsen Foundation
Lennart Israelsson was an SJ (Swedish State Railways) station manager in Småland, who earned a fortune on equity investments, giving him the nickname “Aktiestinsen” (the “stock station master”). During the latter part of his life, Israelsson donated millions to various foundations. There are now five foundations with his name, one of which is Aktiestinsen Lennart Israelsson’s foundation for promoting the activity and health of the elderly.
The foundation annually announces at most eight scholarships in total, of an amount of SEK 500,000 to professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers and students to promote entrepreneurial development work and/or research on health promotion work for the elderly’s activity and health in the field of occupational therapy.
The assessment committee that proposes which projects are funded by the foundation consists of the School of Health and Welfare’s dean (chair of the foundation), a representative of the student association at the School of Health and Welfare, Head of Discipline/researcher in the field of occupational therapy, an occupational therapist and an external entrepreneur in the field of occupational therapy.
