About me
My research interests are focused on aging and care; how the increasing longevity and the changes in health and social care policy affect the use of formal and informal care over time. I’m particularly interested in research on care of people memory disorders. In 2018, I received a Postdoctoal Research Fellowship from the Academy of Finland for my postdoctoral project The challenge of dementia in the era of increasing longevity and changing care systems.
In my work I have mainly used quantitative methods and studied register-based datasets (administrative data), survey and questionnaire data. I have employed both cross-sectional and longitudinal methods in my work. I have ongoing projects using longitudinal data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) and Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). During fall 2018, I started my qualitative project and collected an interview data on people with memory disorders and their informal caregivers.
My work is part of the research conducted in Center of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care (CoeAgeCare).
I have worked in the gerontology group and in a research project New dynamics of longevity and the changing needs for services (COCTEL) at the Tampere University (the University of Tampere until Jan 2019) since 2006, excluding academic year 2016 - 2017 during which I was working at the Institute for Advanced Social Research (IASR), the University of Tampere. In March – August 209 I worked at Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada.
Project links
Selected publications
Peer-reviewed scientific articles
Vargese, SS, Halonen P, Raitanen J, Forma L, Jylhä M, Aaltonen M. Comorbidities in dementia during the last years of life: a register study of patterns and time differences in Finland. Aging Clin Exp Res (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-01867-2
Aaltonen M, Martin-Matthews A, Pulkki J, Eskola P, Jolanki O. Experiences of people with memory disorders and their spouse carers on influencing formal care: “They ask my wife questions that they should ask me”. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1471301221994300
Aaltonen M, El Adam S, Martin-Matthews A, Sakamoto M, Strumpf E, McGrail K. Dementia and poor continuity of primary care delay hospital discharge in older adults: a population-based study from 2001 to 2016. Journal of American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA). 2020 Dec 23;S1525-8610(20)31016-1.doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.11.030. Online ahead of print.
Forma L, Aaltonen M, Raitanen J, Anthun KS, Kalseth J (2020): Place of death among older people in Finland and Norway. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. Accepted for publication.
Pulkki J, Aaltonen M, Raitanen J, Rissanen P, Jylhä M, Forma L. (2019). Purchases of medicines among community-dwelling older people: comparing people in the last 2 years of life and those who lived at least 2 years longer. European Journal of Ageing. First Online 14 November 2019. pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00543-9
Aaltonen M, Van Aerschot L. Unmet care needs are common among community-dwelling older people with memory problems in Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. First Published December 8, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494819890800
Aaltonen, M. S., Forma, L. P., Pulkki, J. M., Raitanen, J. A., Rissanen, P., & Jylhä, M. K. (2019). The Joint Impact of Age at Death and Dementia on Long-Term Care Use in the Last Years of Life: Changes From 1996 to 2013 in Finland. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721419870629
Aaltonen Mari, Raitanen Jani, Comijs Hannie, Broese van Groenou Marjolein (2018). Trends in the use of care among people aged 65–85 with cognitive impairment in the Netherlands. Ageing & Society. 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X18000752
Jørgensen Terese Sara Høj , Fors Stefan, Nilsson Charlotte Juul, Enroth Linda, Aaltonen Mari, Sundberg Louise, Brønnum-Hansen Henrik, Strand Bjørn Heine, Chang Milan, Jylhä Marja. (2018). The ageing populations in the Nordic countries : mortality and longevity from 1990 to 2014. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2018 Jun 1: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1403494818780024
Forma Leena, Aaltonen Mari, Pulkki Jutta, Raitanen Jani, Rissanen Pekka, Seinelä Lauri, Valvanne Jaakko, Jylhä Marja. (2018). Pitkäaikaishoito viimeisenä elinvuotena: Vertailussa suuret kaupungit ja muu Suomi 2002-2013 (In English Long-term care in the last year of life: Comparison between the major cities and the rest of Finland 2002-2013). Suomen Lääkärilehti 73 (38), 2086-2091. (in Finnish only)
Forma Leena, Rissanen Pekka, Aaltonen Mari, Pulkki Jutta, Raitanen Jani, Jylhä Marja. (2018). Vanhuusiän ympärivuorokautinen pitkäaikaishoito keskittyy yhä selvemmin viimeisiin elinvuosiin: Vuosien 2001-2003 ja 2009-2011 vertailu (In English Long-term care for older people is increasingly focused on the last few years of life: Comparison between 2001-2003 and 2009-2011). Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 83 (4), 399-411. (in Finnish only).
Kauppi Maarit, Raitanen Jani, Stenholm Sari, Aaltonen Mari, Enroth Linda, Jylhä Marja. (2017). Predictors of long-term care among nonagenarians: the Vitality 90 + Study with linked data of the care registers. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. 30(8):913-919. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201809132528
Aaltonen M, Raitanen J, Forma L, Pulkki J, Rissanen P. Change over time in the use of care in the last 5 years among people with dementia. Innovation in Aging, Volume 1, Issue suppl 1, 1 July 2017, Pages 542–543, https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.1916 . Conference proceeding.
Aaltonen M, Raitanen J, Forma L, Pulkki J, Rissanen P. Longer lives mean higher need for long-term care at the end-of-life. Innovation in Aging, Volume 1, Issue suppl 1, 1 July 2017, Pages 65, https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.264. Conference proceeding.
Masuchi Y, Jylhä M, Raitanen J, Aaltonen M. (2017). The place of death among people with dementia in Finland - the change from 1998 to 2013. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring 10: 86–93. Published online 2017 Nov 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadm.2017.10.006
Aaltonen M, Forma L, Pulkki J, Raitanen J, Rissanen P, Jylhä M.(2017). Changes in older people’s care profiles during the last two years of life, 1996-1998 and 2011-2013: a retrospective nationwide study in Finland. BMJ Open 7(11):e015130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015130
Enroth L, Aaltonen M, Raitanen J, Nosraty L, Jylhä M. (2017). Does use of long‑term care differ between occupational classes among the oldest old? Vitality 90 + Study. European Journal of Ageing. Published Online. 10.1007/s10433-017-0445-0 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10433-017-0445-0
Forma L, Jylhä M, Pulkki J, Aaltonen M, Raitanen J, Rissanen P. (2017). Trends in the use and costs of round-the-clock long-term care in the last two years of life among old people between 2002 and 2013 in Finland. BMC Health Services Research 17: 668. 10.1186/s12913-017-2615-3 https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-017-2615-3
Forma L, Aaltonen M, Pulkki J, Raitanen J, Rissanen P, Jylhä M (2017). Long-term care is increasingly concentrated in the last years of life: a change from 2000 to 2011. Eur J Public Health. 27 (4): 665–669. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckw260
Forma L, Aaltonen M, Pulkki J, Raitanen J, Rissanen P, Jylhä M (2017): Care service use in two years preceding suicide among older adults - comparison with those who died a natural death and those who lived longer. European Journal of Ageing 14 (2):143–153
Aaltonen M, Pulkki J, Forma L, Raitanen J, Rissanen P, Jylhä M (2016). Dementialääkkeiden kustannukset ja Kela-korvaukset moninkertaistuivat viimeisinä elinvuosina. Lääkärilehti, 71 (43): 2723-2729. (In English Costs for antidementia medicine purchases and SII reimbursements increased between the years 2002 and 2013. )
Forma L, Aaltonen M, Pietilä I (2016): Vanhojen naisten ja miesten erilainen sosiaali- ja terveyspalvelujen käyttö – ovatko syynä erilaiset tarpeet vai erilainen kohtelu? Gerontologia 30 (3): 131-142. (in Finnish).
Pulkki Jutta, Jylhä Marja, Forma Leena, Aaltonen Mari, Raitanen Jani, Rissanen Pekka (2016) Long-term care use among old people in their last 2 years of life: variations across Finland. Health and Social Care in the Community. 24(4):439-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12224
Lehto Vilhelmiina, Seinelä Lauri, Aaltonen Mari (2015) Tehostetun palveluasumisenasukkaiden siirrot – taustatekijät ja siirtojen syyt. Gerontologia 29(1): 12-24.
Aaltonen Mari, Raitanen Jani, Forma Leena, Pulkki Jutta, Rissanen Pekka, Jylhä Marja (2014) Burdensome transitions at the end of life among long-term care residents with dementia. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 15:643-648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2014.04.018
Forma L, M Aaltonen M, Rissanen P, Raitanen J, Jylha M. (2013). Age and Closeness of Death as Determinants of long-term care use in Finland from 1998 to 2006. Gerontologist, 53, 77. Conference proceeding.
Pulkki Jutta, Aaltonen Mari, Forma Leena, Jylhä Marja, Raitanen Jani, Rissanen Pekka. (2014) Pitkäaikaishoito kunnissa vanhuuden viimeisinä vuosina. Palvelujen käytön erot ja muutokset vuosina 2002−2008 (In English Differences in long-term care use between municipalities. Change between 2002-2008). Kunnallistieteellinen aikakauslehti vol 42 (1): 27-43.
Aaltonen Mari, Forma Leena, Rissanen Pekka, Raitanen Jani, Jylhä Marja. (2013). Effects of municipality factors on care transitions. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 41 (6), 604-615.
Aaltonen Mari, Rissanen Pekka, Forma Leena, Raitanen Jani, Jylhä Marja. (2012). The impact of dementia on care transitions during the last two years of life. Age and Ageing 41 (1), 52-57. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afr133
Forma Leena, Jylhä Marja, Aaltonen Mari, Raitanen Jani, Rissanen Pekka. (2011). Municipal variation in health and social service use in the last 2 years of life among old people. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 39 (4), 361-370.
Forma Leena, Rissanen Pekka, Aaltonen Mari, Raitanen Jani, Jylhä Marja. (2011). Dementia as a determinant of social and health service use in the last two years of life 1996-2003. BMC Geriatrics 11 (14).
Aaltonen Mari, Forma Leena, Rissanen Pekka, Raitanen Jani, Jylhä Marja. (2010). Transitions in health and social service system at the end of life. European Journal of Ageing 7 (2), 91-100.
Forma Leena, Rissanen Pekka, Aaltonen Mari, Raitanen Jani, Jylhä Marja. (2009). Age and closeness of death as determinants of health and social care utilization: a case-control study. European Journal of Public Health 19 (3), 313-318. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckp028