Jenna Peiponen

Jenna Peiponen is a Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. Her research focuses on gerontological social work, particularly addressing complex support needs of older adults within Finnish social service systems. She is part of the Social Work Research and Education Team and contributed to the GERIT project (2021–2022), exploring gerontological social work responses to elderly clients’ complex needs.

Her work emphasizes challenges in service guidance for elderly clients, including systemic bouncing, service coordination failures, and unmet support needs. Publications analyze access barriers, competency development in gerontological practice, and evolving roles of social workers amid changing welfare systems. Her research bridges policy, practice, and elderly advocacy, with a focus on preventing social exclusion through improved service responsiveness.