معرفی
Helena Larsson serves as a Senior Lecturer in Caring Science at Kristianstad University's Faculty of Health Science, Department of Nursing and Integrated Health Sciences. She leads research within the Man - Health - Society (MHS) group and serves as Deputy Research Environment Leader for the Forskningsplattformen Hälsa i samverkan (Health in Collaboration Research Platform). Her academic foundation includes a 2020 doctoral thesis on existential loneliness in frail older persons from significant others' perspectives, forming the basis for the LONE study and subsequent EU-funded 'Alone' project.
Her research focuses on existential health and person-centered approaches in elderly care contexts including palliative settings, nursing homes, and home care environments. Utilizing primarily qualitative methodologies—hermeneutics, phenomenology, content analysis, and thematic analysis—she investigates emotional and existential aspects of care for older adults and their families. Recent work emphasizes developing communication skills training for nursing students and professionals to address difficult existential conversations.
Current publication trends (2023-2025) reveal concentrated efforts in three interconnected domains: 1) Person-centered communication training frameworks (ComPerCe projects), 2) Existential loneliness interventions in nursing homes (EXIST-well), and 3) Specialized care models for Parkinson's disease patients and families. Her work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with clinical implementation, particularly through skill-training programs transitioning from education to practice.
Larsson actively supervises doctoral students including ComPerCe-OP project's Hellgren and Parkinson's care initiative's Appelberg. Her grant portfolio demonstrates substantial competitive funding, with active projects spanning 2024-2029 including NKSE ut tre olika perspektiv (2024-2026) and ComPerCe-OP (2025-2029). International collaboration features prominently through interdisciplinary partnerships with researchers from Norway, Finland, and Belgium.
Within the Man - Health - Society research environment, she contributes to the Forskningsplattformen Hälsa i samverkan which integrates multiple research teams focusing on practical healthcare solutions. Her media engagement—including newspaper features in Kristianstadsbladet and Sveriges Radio appearances—demonstrates commitment to translating research into public discourse about existential care needs in contemporary society.
