Biography
I am writing my doctoral dissertation as part of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Social Services (DocSoc360) in the field of social and political sciences. My dissertation examines the use of health and social services by people with dementia before receiving their first dementia diagnosis.
The research examines the service use by people diagnosed with dementia in 2019 or 2021, and compares the service use 12 to 24 months before the diagnosis with that of their undiagnosed control subjects during the same period. The study is register-based, and the data consist of visits to primary and secondary healthcare, emergency department, and home care. The data is obtained from the health care registers maintained by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Dementia develops gradually, and the initial symptoms can be difficult to detect. The aim of my research is to contribute to the development of a socially and economically sustainable service system that meets the clients’ service needs.