Support4Resilience

20/01/2026

“We are the ones closest to the residents. We should be heard.”

This statement, shared during a focus group with long-term care workers in Italy, captures a key insight from a recent qualitative study: the quality of eldercare depends not only on protocols and infrastructure, but on the daily realities of those who provide it.

Interviews with nurses, nursing assistants, administrative staff, and therapists in residential facilities revealed care as a relational and emotionally demanding process. Workers often went beyond formal duties, offering presence, empathy, and continuity in contexts marked by staff shortages and limited medical support.

Despite these pressures, many described strong team dynamics, a shared commitment to residents’ dignity, and adaptability under strain. What they asked for was simple: time, space, support, and to be listened to.

Resilience, they stressed, is built collectively, and sustainable care begins with recognizing the value of frontline work.

👉 Read the full blog post: https://support4resilience.eu/insights-frontline-workers-elderly-care-resilience/

Explore the reality of frontline workers in elderly care. New insights on resilience, emotional labor, and the structural support needed for mental wellbeing.

16/01/2026

This week we wrapped up three intense days of work on the S4R Toolbox.

Teams from the University of Cyprus (UCY), Universitetet i Stavanger (UiS) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) met in Spain together with the FUE–UJI team to work hands-on on the S4R Toolbox. The focus was on improving the tools, working closely as a group, and collecting practical feedback to guide the next steps.

This work is part of WP3: S4R Toolbox Development, and it plays a key role in making sure the tools are useful, realistic and aligned with the needs of leaders in elderly care.

Thank you to everyone involved for the effort, teamwork and commitment 🙌

02/01/2026

A new year, a new update from Support4Resilience 🙌 .

We’re happy to start the year by sharing that the third edition of our hashtag is now available.

This issue covers the work we carried out in the second half of 2025. Among other things, we published our first peer-reviewed articles, presented our work at multiple conferences, and started the pilot phase of the S4R Toolbox in Norway.

👇 Read the newsletter here:
https://shorturl.at/UX7cR

🔗 Not subscribed yet? Join our mailing list:
https://shorturl.at/qrGJR

Thank you for following our journey, and best wishes for the year ahead.

This issue looks back at the second half of 2025 and the progress made across the project, from our first peer-reviewed publications to new content and conference presentations. We also took key steps toward real-world use of the S4R Toolbox, including the WP4 kick-off in Stavanger and the start of....

17/12/2025

Transparency, consent, and the right to erasure.

These are the pillars of GDPR. But in the S4R Toolbox, we go a step further: Anonymity.

Developed by our technical partners at the University of Cyprus, the toolbox follows a strict "Privacy-by-Design" principle.

Why is anonymity essential for healthcare resilience? Because workers need to feel safe enough to respond truthfully without fearing hierarchical pressures.

To achieve this, we implemented strict technical safeguards:

- 🔒 No logins.

- ⏱️ No shared timestamps.

- 🚫 No open-text responses (because writing styles can identify you).

Read our latest post to discover more: https://support4resilience.eu/eu-anonymity-in-healthcare-workplace-trust/

09/12/2025

We started the pilot phase for the S4R Toolbox in Norway 🙌

Last week, the NTNU - Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet team kicked off the first pilot workshop with healthcare leaders, with support from the Universitetet i Stavanger. This marks the beginning of an exciting stage for Support4Resilience.

From the very beginning, the group was engaged and quickly found their way through the toolbox. Leaders told us they found it easy to use, and above all, they shared that the tools felt genuinely useful for their work.

It was a productive start to this new phase, and we would like to share some photos of how the session unfolded!

03/12/2025

Who actually holds up the long-term care system?

Middle managers are stuck in the "multiple middle".

In our latest comparative analysis across 7 countries we show that while every country is grappling with rising care needs and structural workforce shortages, the pressure to deliver solutions often falls on middle managers.

They must translate and mediate between:
- Regulatory frameworks and policy changes
- Organizational workforce strategies
- The situated context in which everyday care is organized and provided.

Read our latest blog post to learn more 👇
https://support4resilience.eu/managers-role-resilience-elderly-care/

27/11/2025

Today we close three intense days of work in Stavanger, Norway, where the Support4Resilience team gathered for the kick-off meeting of WP4.

Starting this December and running until August 2027, WP4 will take the S4R Toolbox from development into real-world use. Across six European countries (and Australia), we will evaluate how the toolbox performs in elderly care settings, aiming to move beyond “reactive mode” and strengthen organisational systems that support leaders and protect staff wellbeing.

This phase goes far beyond testing a digital solution. It also involves validating the Resilience Capacity Scale and listening closely to leaders, healthcare workers and informal caregivers. Through interviews, focus groups and observations, we will gather insights into how the toolbox supports everyday work, and how resilience can learn, adapt and improve over time.

Thank you to the whole team for their shared effort over the past few days. Now it's time to move on to the next steps.

26/11/2025

At the 8th HCAC Conference in Amman, Carsten Engel (CEO of ISQua) introduced Support4Resilience to an international audience. He explained how we are developing a research-based digital toolbox to help healthcare leaders strengthen resilience and improve the mental wellbeing of both formal and informal caregivers.

By mapping resilience factors, supporting reflection, and guiding organizational improvements, the toolbox aims to address the growing pressures in elderly care, from staffing shortages to increasing emotional and physical demands.

Thank you to the organisers and to everyone who joined the conversation.

👉 If you want to know more about the project, visit: support4resilience.eu

24/11/2025

Last week, Support4Resilience was present at the National Patient Safety Conference 2025 in Norway, where Cecilie Haraldseid-Driftland contributed to both the plenary session and the leaders’ pre-conference.

At the plenary session, she presented insights based on research into how health systems can maintain resilience in the context of workforce shortages, increasing care requirements and growing uncertainty.

At the pre-conference, Cecilie presented the Support4Resilience project and what it takes to recruit and maintain a strong healthcare workforce.

Thanks to I trygge hender 24-7 for the excellent organization and for creating a space to discuss these important topics.

20/11/2025

What happens when support focuses on symptoms, not systems?

A few weeks ago, we shared the results of our systematic review on organisational interventions in elderly care. Today, authors Eila Kankaanpää and Anna-Kaisa Vartiainen from the University of Eastern Finland go one step further in a new blog post.

Their reflection highlights a clear imbalance:
while informal carers often receive counselling and structured support, interventions for elderly care workers are still limited and many focus mainly on short-term relaxation techniques.

Breathing exercises can help in the moment, but they don’t solve deeper issues like shift stability, workload or team processes.

This gap also reveals something bigger: we still need more research done directly in workplaces, with organisational conditions and real-life challenges at the centre. Strengthening mental wellbeing in elderly care requires studies that listen to staff, involve middle managers and support change that lasts.

📝 Read the full post here:

Why is there a gap in mental health support for elderly care workers? S4R explores the costs of burnout and why co-creation is the solution.

17/11/2025

What do long-term care systems across seven countries have in common?

A review article recently published in the journal Health Policy (Volume 163, January 2026) as part of our project takes a closer look at this question, and its findings are relevant to anyone working to strengthen elderly care.

The article examines long-term care systems in Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Italy and Australia. Despite their structural differences, they all face the same core challenge: workforce shortages that affect both care quality and workers’ wellbeing. The study also reveals that many countries rely on similar strategies, such as ageing in place, digital tools, service integration and task shifting. However, each system adapts these measures differently.

Most importantly, the paper highlights the role of middle managers. They translate high-level policies into everyday practice, balancing organisational goals with the needs and wellbeing of care workers. Supporting their work is essential for building resilient long-term care systems, which aligns directly with the mission of Support4Resilience.

Read the full publication here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851025002386

Interested in finding out more about Support4Resilience?
Visit https://support4resilience.eu/

Congratulations to the authors: Martijn Felder, Roland Bal, Eline Ree, Maren Sogstad, Sharon Stoddart, Louise Ellis, Florin TIBU, Federico Vola, PAOLA CANTARELLI, Juana Mari Delgado-Saborit, Estefania Aparicio Llopis, Mari Lahti, Eila Kankaanpää, Siri Wiig, Iris Wallenburg and Hilda Bø Lyng.

03/11/2025

How can we strengthen resilience in elderly care?

At the EU-Safety 2025 Conference in Heraklion, Crete, Dr. Nektaria Pedioti represented Support4Resilience and presented our research on building organisational resilience in elderly care.

Her talk introduced the S4R Toolbox: a digital, evidence-based resource designed to help elderly care leaders assess challenges, reflect with their teams, and reorganise work practices to improve wellbeing and safety.

Drawing from data collected in six European countries, the S4R Toolbox responds to a clear need: resilience in care cannot depend only on individual coping. It requires structured tools that help leaders understand risks, align workforce capacity and build supportive systems.

👉 Learn more about our work at support4resilience.eu