This year's recipients Sofia Kvarnström Börsbo, Mahdi Safari, Manuela Schmidt, Julia Hjälmeby and Hanna Ledhagen
Improved quality of life for elderly people
The annual ceremony for the distribution of the Aktiestinsen Scholarship Fund has taken place at the School of Health and Welfare at Jönköping University (JU). This year's recipients and their four different projects will contribute to improving the quality of life for elderly people. A total of SEK 920,000 was awarded.
The ceremony on 4 February began with lunch at Mariedal at JU, followed by presentations where the 2025 scholarship recipients talked about their projects and what the funding will enable them to achieve.
Meaningful activities in multicultural elderly care
One of the awarded projects was presented by Manuela Schmidt, a researcher at the School of Health and Welfare. She began by expressing her warm thanks to the fund and described the project's focus, which is to investigate how both elderly people and staff experience meaningful activities in multicultural elderly care.
“We want to capture both residents' and staff's perspectives to see if there is a gap between them. What does the elderly person mean when they express a need, and how is it interpreted by the staff?” explained Manuela Schmidt.
The project will be carried out at a nursing home in close collaboration with occupational therapists, physiotherapists and activity coordinators, among others.
The 2025 scholarship recipients were:
- Manuela Schmidt, School of Health and Welfare, is awarded SEK 360,000 for 2026 and SEK 300,000 for 2027 for the project “The experiences of elderly people and staff regarding meaningful activities in multicultural nursing homes.”
- Julia Hjälmeby, Medborgarskolan, is awarded SEK 60,000 for the project “Green activities for health and community among elderly people.”
- Sofia Kvarnström Börsbo, School of Health and Welfare, is awarded SEK 200,000 for 2026 and SEK 180,000 for 2027 for the project “The risk matrix – Method for elderly people's climate change awareness and adaptations, focused on heat waves.”
- Mahdi Safari, Trädgårdens äldreboende, Jönköping Municipality, has been awarded SEK 300,000 for the project “Sensory Garden.”
Follow-up from previous scholarship recipients
During the ceremony, last year's scholarship recipients also had the opportunity to provide feedback on their projects. One of these was the Cultural Experiences initiative, which aims to give older people access to dance, music and creative arts.
"It wouldn't have been possible without the funding. We have seen the joy it has brought and how it has improved their quality of life," says Karl Martindahl, musician at Folkuniversitetet.
The project group showed a film documenting how participants in nursing homes had taken part in various cultural activities over a twelve-week period, which, according to the project team, had both enriched their everyday lives and improved their well-being. You can watch the film here External link, opens in new window..
The 2024 scholarship recipients were:
- Victor Ahlgren, Folkuniversitetet, with the project Cultural experiences.
- Anna Sundling, Nässjö Municipality, with the project Aktivitetsryggsäck.
- Johanna Johansson, School of Health and Welfare, with the project Life filming - Obstacles and opportunities for older people's outdoor activities in urban environments during heat waves.
- Madeleine Svärd, Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan i Jönköpings län, with the project The Joy of Art for Seniors.
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 600,000 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.
