Ulla Melin Emilsson

PhD, Professor in Social Work, Psychologist, Graduated in Social Work and Supervision.

Research

My main research areas are social-, sociopolitical and social psychological perspectives on health and social care of older people and the professional practice in human service organizations. Over a period of more than 20 years I have been studying the meaning of everyday life and interpersonal processes in the care of older people suffering from dementia.

Since 2002 the research also comprises a socio-political comparative approach on different organisational levels, focused on eldercare in general in Sweden, France and Portugal. From 2006 the research area also includes care of older people in the UK were I am appointed to be a Visiting Fellow in Elder Care & Social Research. Initially the research principally was influenced by a relationship-based approach with a psycho-dynamic theoretical starting-point and a phenomenological/ hermeneutic view on qualitative studies. Later on an organisational theoretical framework also has been used. With the same theoretical and methodological approach I started developmental work and research on postgraduate education in 1999. In the frame of fundamental research I have tried to explore "what’s going on" in the everyday life in the care of the elderly as well as in various postgraduate situations and environments.

In the applied part of my research I have studied and tried to develop the meeting of research and the field. The gap between theory and practice has been more and more evident in my research and it has gradually grown up to a central position of my research focus as well as my interest in questions regarding the interaction between different trusts and research disciplines within the frame of the welfare state. Since 2007 I am participating in interdisciplinary research work at CASE – Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environments at Lund University. Since 2012 I am the leader of the interdisciplinary research group REIS-Research on Elderly in Social Sciences based at the Department of Social Works at Linnaeus University.

My research group

Research on Elderly and Disability in Social Sciences (REIS) The REIS research environment performs multidisciplinary research on older people and persons with disabilities. We have a holistic view…

Publications

Article in journal (Refereed)

Söderberg, M., Ståhl, A., Melin Emilsson, U. (2020). Dignity as a guiding principle for family care partners in the care of an old relative with dementia. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. 34. 87-95.
Vingare, E., Giertz, L., Melin Emilsson, U. (2020). Do national guidelines have any impact? : a comparison of nine Swedish municipalities and the Dementia care. Nordic Social Work Research. 10. 51-65.
Bergman, A., Melin Emilsson, U., Järkestig Berggren, U. (2020). Persons with certain functional impairments apply for parenting support : a study of personal assistance assessments in Sweden. Nordic Social Work Research.
Järkestig Berggren, U., Melin Emilsson, U., Bergman, A. (2019). Strategies of austerity used in needs assessments for personal assistance - changing Swedish social policy for persons with disabilities. European Journal of Social Work. 1-13.
Giertz, L., Melin Emilsson, U., Vingare, E. (2019). Family caregivers and decision-making for older people with dementia. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law. 41. 321-338.
Ritenius Manjer, Å., Zackrisson, S., Melin Emilsson, U. (2016). On Women’s Ambivalence about Mammography Screening : Support in the Decision-Making Process a Potential Role for Health Care Social Workers?. British Journal of Social Work. 46. 480-497.
Melin Emilsson, U., Ståhl, A. (2016). Good personal finances or a strong social capital : on different life conditions of importance for an active life when becoming alone in old age : Gott om pengar eller ett starkt socialt kapital? Om skillnader i livsvillkor för män och kvinnor som blir ensamma på äldre dar. European Journal of Social Work. 19. 749-763.
Ritenius Manjer, Å., Melin Emilsson, U., Zackrission, S. (2015). Non-attendance in mammography screening and women’s social network : A cohort study on the influence of family composition, social support, attitudes and cancer in close relations.. World Journal of Surgical Oncology. 13. 211-217.
Söderberg, M., Ståhl, A., Melin Emilsson, U. (2015). Stratified structural and epistemic aspects of the care managers’ discretion - : A theoretical approach to the complex process related to older people’s relocation to a residential home. European Journal of Social Work. 18. 325-339.
Wikström, E., Melin Emilsson, U. (2014). Autonomy and control in everyday life in care of older people in nursing homes. Journal of Housing for the Elderly. 28. 41-62.
Söderberg, M., Ståhl, A., Melin Emilsson, U. (2014). How the Care Managers Handle the Process when Older People Consider Relocation to a Residential Home. British Journal of Social Work. 45. 2423-2440.
Söderberg, M., Ståhl, A., Melin Emilsson, U. (2013). Independence as a stigmatizing value for older people considering relocation to a residential home : [ Självständighet som en stigmatiserande värdering för gamla människor som överväger att flytta till ett särskilt boende ]. European Journal of Social Work. 16. 391-406.
Stjernborg, V., Melin Emilsson, U., Ståhl, A. (2013). Changes in outdoor mobility when becoming alone in the household in old age. Journal of Transport and Health. 1. 9-16.
Söderberg, M., Ståhl, A., Melin Emilsson, U. (2012). Family members' strategies when their elderly relatives consider relocation to a residential home : Adapting, representing and avoiding. Journal of Aging Studies. 26. 495-503.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2012). The Role of Social Work in Cross-Professional Teamwork : Examples from an Older Peoples Team in England.. British Journal of Social Work. 43. 116-134.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2012). The Staff’s View on Dementia and the Care in three Cultures : A Qualitative Study in France, Portugal and Sweden.. Dementia. 11. 31-47.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2009). Health care, social care or both? : A qualitative explorative study of different focuses in long-term care of older people in France, Portugal and Sweden. European Journal of Social Work. 12. 419-434.
Ritenius Manjer, Å., Zackrisson, S., Melin Emilsson, U. (2008). Kvinnors val kring mammografiscreening : Ett exempel på non-take-up i den svenska välfärdsmodellen.. Socionomens forskningssupplement. 6. 24-34.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2008). Identity and Relationships : On Understanding Social Work with Older People Suffering from Dementia. Journal of Social Work Practice. 22. 317-328.
Melin Emilsson, U., Lilje, B. (2008). Training social competence in engineering education: necessary, possible or not even desirable? : an explorative study from a surveying education programme. European Journal of Engineering Education. 33. 259-269.
Melin Emilsson, U., Johnsson, E. (2007). Supervision of supervisors : on developing supervision in postgraduate education. Higher Education Research and Development. 26. 163-179.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2006). Supervision as Pedagogy and Support in the Swedish Eldercare : A Developmental Project. Journal of gerontological social work. 47. 83-102.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2006). Supervision as Pedagogy and Support in the Swedish Eldercare : , : A Developmental Project.. Journal of gerontological social work. 83-102.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2005). Recognizing But Not Acknowledging : On Using Research Information in Social Work with Elderly People Suffering from Dementia. British Journal of Social Work. 35. 1393-1409.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2004). Gruppboende för dementa : : en omsorgsform eller ett begrepp i försvinnande?.. Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift. 11. 252-274.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2002). Vårdbiträde inom äldreomsorgen : : offer eller kompetent specialist?. Äldre i centrum : tidskrift för aktuell äldreforskning. 16. 19-21.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2001). A Supervisão como Metodo de Pesquisa em Servico Social : Projecto sobre Idosos e Doenca Mental na Suecia. Interacçoes, 1, Outubro 2001, 50-64.. Outubro. 50-64.

Conference paper (Refereed)

Karlsson, S., Meyer, G., Melin Emilsson, U., Rahm Hallberg, I. (2010). European health and social care and welfare systems for persons with dementia. : Facing Dementia Together. .
Melin Emilsson, U. (2009). Comparative examples of long term care for older people in France, Portugal, and Sweden. .
Melin Emilsson, U. (2009). Keep moving: Improving the mobility of older people. : An example of research collaboration in Europe.. The Swedish Japanese research network conference at Kwansei Gakuin University, Osaka, Japan, 31st of March 2009.

Report (Refereed)

Gynnerstedt, K., Thelin, A., Melin Emilsson, U. (2017). Gammal i Småland på 2000-talet : En kunskapsöversikt av forskning kring äldres vardag. Linnaeus University, Fakulteten för samhällsvetenskap, Institutionen för socialt arbete. 42.

Chapter in book (Other academic)

Melin Emilsson, U. (2014). Socialt arbete och sjuka äldre. Socialt arbete i hälso- och sjukvård : villkor, innehåll och utmaningar. Stockholm, Natur och kultur. 201-215.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2010). Socialt arbete, counselling och psykoterapi. Counselling: : stödsamtal i socialt arbete. Stockholm, Gothia Förlag AB.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2007). Demens : det normala på äldreboende?. Normer och normalitet i socialt arbete. Lund, Studentlitteratur. 275-287.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2004). Med fokus på handledningsrelationen : om möten, perspektiv och tillit i forskarutbildningen. En kompanjonbok till Forskningsetik och perspektivval : femton texter till Rosmari Eliasson-Lappalainen. Lund, Studentlitteratur. 153-161.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2004). Den blå klänningen : Om privat och offentligt i gruppboenden för dementa.. Omsorgens skiftningar : Begreppet, vardagen, politiken, forskningen. Lund, Studentlitteratur. 90-102.

Doctoral thesis, monograph (Other academic)

Melin Emilsson, U. (1998). Vardag i olika världar: : om dementa och vårdbiträden på tre gruppboenden.. Doctoral Thesis. Lund, Arkiv förlag & tidskrift. 320.

Report (Other academic)

Rahm Hallberg, I., Melin Emilsson, U., Karlsson, S., Lethin, C. (2012). Best pracitce in Sweden aimed at people with dementia.
Lethin, C., Rahm Hallberg, I., Melin Emillsson, U., Karlsson, S. (2011). Support to informal caregivers caring for older people with dementia. : A European perspective. European union.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2006). Gammal och dement i Sverige, Portugal och Frankrike - en komparativ studie av socialpolitiska mål och implementering i tre kulturer : En slutrapport.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2004). Handledning som utbildning och stöd för personal i arbete med äldre demenssjuka : ett utvecklingsprojekt . Slutrapport, RALF - Rådet för arbetslivsforkning/Vinnova.
Melin Emilsson, U. (2001). Supervision of supervisors : on developing supervision as pedagogy and support in Post-graduate education. 18.

Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)

Article, review/survey (Other academic)

Melin Emilsson, U. (2012). Looking after our elderly : European based research into the care of older people 20 years, 9 projects in 10 countries. Public Service Review: Europe. 24. 154-155.

Chapter in book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))

Gullacksen, A., Melin Emilsson, U. (1997). Det sociala arbetet inom hälso-och sjukvård. : Intervju med U. Fredlund.. Socialhögskolan i Lund 50 år. : En jubileumsskrift 1947-1997.. Lund, Lunds universitet.

Report (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))

Giertz, L., Melin Emilsson, U., Albertsson, M. (2018). Ställföreträdarskap och livet med demens : En studie om självbestämmande, samtycke och företrädarskap. 123.