Anna Swall

Anna Swall is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at Dalarna University, working within the Department of Health and Welfare and the Department of Nursing. She serves as a lecturer in nursing across multiple programs including the Specialist Nursing Program with a focus on care for the elderly, the Specialist Nursing Program with dementia care, the undergraduate Nursing Program, and the doctoral program. Additionally, she holds the position of program manager for the Specialist Nursing Program in Elderly Care.

Dr. Swall earned a master's degree in elder care and a postgraduate degree in nursing with a focus on dementia care and person-centered care. She defended her thesis in 2015 on the importance of service dogs for older people with Alzheimer's disease. Her higher education career began in 2006, establishing nearly two decades of academic contribution to nursing education.

Dr. Swall's research program centers on elderly care and dementia care, with particular emphasis on person-centered approaches and innovative interventions. Her work explores music therapy, caregiver singing techniques, and the therapeutic use of dogs in dementia care settings. She systematically investigates dignity and well-being among older people in residential care facilities, examining both individual and systemic factors that contribute to quality of life. Her research also addresses multimorbidity in elderly care, nutritional considerations, and the impact of physical environments on care quality. Through her scholarship, she bridges theoretical knowledge with practical nursing applications, particularly in specialized elderly care contexts.

Analysis of Dr. Swall's publication record reveals a clear progression from specific therapeutic interventions (like therapy dogs for Alzheimer's patients) toward broader systemic issues in elderly care, while maintaining consistent focus on non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care. Her recent work shows increasing attention to the pandemic's impact on elderly care systems and the evolving role of nurses in community care settings. She consistently employs patient-centered perspectives, particularly examining dignity and well-being from the viewpoint of elderly patients themselves, contributing valuable evidence to inform person-centered care models in Sweden and beyond.

Dr. Swall teaches and is responsible for several key courses including 'Caring for the elderly, VFU' (AVÅ28J), 'Multimorbidity, diagnostics and treatment for the elderly from a nursing perspective' (AVÅ28L), 'Nutrition and eating' (AVÅ28G), and 'Person-centered care for multimorbidity, mental illness and dementia' (AVÅ28K). She also teaches qualitative research methods in the doctoral program, sharing her methodological expertise with the next generation of nursing scholars.