Karin Josefsson, Professor in Nursing

Karin Josefsson hails from Västmanland and became a registered nurse in Skövde in 1982, with continuing professional development in geriatrics in 1984 in Östersund. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences in 1996, and her Master’s degree in 1997, specialised in Nursing, first in Umeå and later on in Örebro. She received her PhD in Clinical Elderly Care at the Karolinska Institute in 2006. 

"My academic history is a mix of nursing and teaching. As a doctoral student, I had the privilege of studying at several different institutions, from Malmö down south to Umeå up north." 

As of 1 January, 2020, she is a professor in Nursing, specialised on elderly research, at Karlstad University. 

"My research focus is on older adults, in care and outside of it, and on care providers. The family of the older adult is included in the research, as are nursing students and their learning, and the management and organisation that affects care and the older adult’s experience."

Karin Josefsson considers older adults fascinating with all the experience they’ve gathered on their journey through life, and says that reaching a high age is nothing short of a success story. She adds that the people and environments that influence older adults’ care and lives in various ways are equally fascinating.

"With the number of older adults in the world increasing, my research is significantly beneficial to society. Especially now with the rising number of elderly people in Sweden who cannot afford food or shelter. Sweden also failed to protect older adults from Covid-19-related death. That makes my research even more important. I personally feel a strong sense of purpose and gratification connected to research on older adults." 

Karin Josefsson’s interdisciplinary research is primarily utilised in municipal elderly care, with emphasis on the older adult, by nurses, leaders, and management. Politicians use her findings nationally, regionally, and locally, and her research is also in demand and in use abroad. 

"In the future, I will keep trying to be sensitive to how and where my research can best benefit society, for instance by giving financially challenged older adults a voice and bolstering nurses’ near-patient leadership as well as older adults in municipal home care."  

Something that Karin Josefsson values is life-affirming, joyous activities in her work and outside of her career. She takes every opportunity to spend time with friends and family, and she is an avid padel player. She enjoys travelling, mediates to relax, and has a particular fondness for primates, which has led her to adopt chimps at Monkey World in Dorset, south of England.