Delegation from Leyden Academy visits ARC and TraCeDem at KI
On 21 May 2026, a delegation from Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing visited the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet. The visit, hosted by ARC and the Transdisciplinary Research Center for Personalized Dementia Prevention & Care (TraCeDem), focused on the interaction between research, policy, and care practice within the Swedish health and social care system.
The delegation consisted of 15 healthcare managers and directors from Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing, an organization dedicated to increasing knowledge about ageing and vitality and making it accessible to policymakers, healthcare providers, and the general public to improve the quality of life of older adults. Also attending the visit was Annegien van Noortwijk, a master’s student from Leiden University Medical Center participating through the Erasmus programme.
During the visit, Carin Lennartsson, Director of ARC, introduced the delegation to ARC’s research areas and mission. She presented ongoing research on the Swedish welfare system, with a particular focus on health and social care, as well as developments in formal and informal care in older age.
Mariam Kirvalidze, in her role as Project Coordinator for TraCeDem, presented the centre’s organisation, mission, and goals, highlighting how Sweden’s new national dementia strategy evolved into a funding call for a new research centre and ultimately led to the establishment of TraCeDem.
Researchers from ARC, including Pernilla Alencar Siljehag and Mariam Kirvalidze, also presented studies on topics such as pathways into home care and the role of informal caregivers.
The visit concluded with a joint discussion in which participants exchanged experiences, compared perspectives from Sweden and the Netherlands, and reflected on shared challenges across borders, including workforce shortages and the need for better integration of health and social care.