Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Support4Resilience (Strengthening resilience and mental wellbeing through the Support4Resilience toolbox for leaders in elderly care)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-03-01 do 2025-08-31
European elderly care experiences labor shortages, lack of qualified workers and a mismatch between capacity and demands, causing stress, burnout, and reduced mental wellbeing among healthcare workers and informal caregivers. Leaders are crucial in promoting supportive working conditions but lack research-based measures to act upon these challenges.Support4Resilience (S4R) will develop, implement, and evaluate a research-based Toolbox to support healthcare leaders in improving healthcare workers’ and informal caregivers’ resilience and mental wellbeing in elderly care. S4R will identify resilience and mental wellbeing factors among healthcare workers and informal
caregivers; explore their perspectives and needs; develop new theory on the relationship between individual and organizational resilience, and mental wellbeing; and develop recommendations and cost-effective interventions. The Toolbox with tailormade resources for policy and practical use will be available through an open access S4R Resource Bank. The S4R Toolbox includes three main tools: 1) Mapping and identification, 2) Reflection and education, and 3) Reorganization. Measures are initiated at the organizational level and effects on mental wellbeing and resilience transpire at the frontline of elderly care. The Toolbox covers different situational contexts, types of healthcare providers and health system levels. Elderly care settings in six European countries will implement and evaluate the Toolbox through a process evaluation, effectiveness evaluation, and cost-effectiveness evaluation. S4R provides policymakers, decisions-makers and leaders with solutions for taking action to solve specific risks for healthcare workers’ and informal caregivers’ resilience and mental wellbeing. Thus, pertinent to the work programme, S4R will support the development of resilient health systems in European elderly care through improved leadership capabilities, governance structures, and adaptive capacities.
caregivers; explore their perspectives and needs; develop new theory on the relationship between individual and organizational resilience, and mental wellbeing; and develop recommendations and cost-effective interventions. The Toolbox with tailormade resources for policy and practical use will be available through an open access S4R Resource Bank. The S4R Toolbox includes three main tools: 1) Mapping and identification, 2) Reflection and education, and 3) Reorganization. Measures are initiated at the organizational level and effects on mental wellbeing and resilience transpire at the frontline of elderly care. The Toolbox covers different situational contexts, types of healthcare providers and health system levels. Elderly care settings in six European countries will implement and evaluate the Toolbox through a process evaluation, effectiveness evaluation, and cost-effectiveness evaluation. S4R provides policymakers, decisions-makers and leaders with solutions for taking action to solve specific risks for healthcare workers’ and informal caregivers’ resilience and mental wellbeing. Thus, pertinent to the work programme, S4R will support the development of resilient health systems in European elderly care through improved leadership capabilities, governance structures, and adaptive capacities.
During its first 18 months, the S4R project has laid a solid scientific, empirical, and technical foundation for achieving its long-term goal of promoting resilience and mental wellbeing in elderly care. The initial phase focused on building the conceptual groundwork, collecting and analysing data, and advancing the first versions of the S4R digital Toolbox, which will be completed by mid-2026.
Four literature reviews on resilience, mental wellbeing, and the effectiveness of interventions were completed, as well as context mapping, leading to two scientific publications and more manuscripts in preparation. A comprehensive research protocol and validated quantitative and qualitative instruments were developed, translated, and applied across six European countries and Australia. More than 3,000 survey responses and over 300 interviews were collected, exceeding targets and providing a rich dataset to inform the Toolbox design.
Based on these data, the S4R digital Toolbox is being created through a user-centred co-creation process. The technical infrastructure - server, database, and deployment environment - has been fully established. Tool 1’s core functions are completed, Tool 2’s structure and initial content are in place, and an early version of Tool 3 allows leaders to create action plans and receive feedback. Multilingual capability has been built, though current content is in English. Preparations for pilot testing began in September 2025 with participant recruitment. Deliverables were slightly delayed to October 2025 to allow further implementation. AI is used for video avatars and NLP search support, while main analytics rely on established statistical methods.
The project has been managed effectively through structured coordination mechanisms, including regular consortium and management meetings, ethics and data protection oversight, and engagement of an international Expert Advisory Board. Ethics approvals were obtained in all participating countries, and two comprehensive Ethics Plans and a Data Management Plan were delivered. Dissemination and communication have been highly active, with the launch of the project website, two newsletters, an animated explainer video, three podcast episodes, conference presentations, and joint webinars with sister projects. The project maintains an active social media presence across multiple platforms and has established strong links with key stakeholder networks. Ethical compliance has been ensured throughout, supported by the Ethics Advisor and dedicated reporting. Apart from a few minor scheduling adjustments, all deliverables and milestones have been achieved as planned. S4R’s first reporting period has established the empirical evidence base, technical infrastructure, and collaborative framework necessary for the next phase of toolbox completion, large-scale testing, and translation of results into policy and practice recommendations.
Four literature reviews on resilience, mental wellbeing, and the effectiveness of interventions were completed, as well as context mapping, leading to two scientific publications and more manuscripts in preparation. A comprehensive research protocol and validated quantitative and qualitative instruments were developed, translated, and applied across six European countries and Australia. More than 3,000 survey responses and over 300 interviews were collected, exceeding targets and providing a rich dataset to inform the Toolbox design.
Based on these data, the S4R digital Toolbox is being created through a user-centred co-creation process. The technical infrastructure - server, database, and deployment environment - has been fully established. Tool 1’s core functions are completed, Tool 2’s structure and initial content are in place, and an early version of Tool 3 allows leaders to create action plans and receive feedback. Multilingual capability has been built, though current content is in English. Preparations for pilot testing began in September 2025 with participant recruitment. Deliverables were slightly delayed to October 2025 to allow further implementation. AI is used for video avatars and NLP search support, while main analytics rely on established statistical methods.
The project has been managed effectively through structured coordination mechanisms, including regular consortium and management meetings, ethics and data protection oversight, and engagement of an international Expert Advisory Board. Ethics approvals were obtained in all participating countries, and two comprehensive Ethics Plans and a Data Management Plan were delivered. Dissemination and communication have been highly active, with the launch of the project website, two newsletters, an animated explainer video, three podcast episodes, conference presentations, and joint webinars with sister projects. The project maintains an active social media presence across multiple platforms and has established strong links with key stakeholder networks. Ethical compliance has been ensured throughout, supported by the Ethics Advisor and dedicated reporting. Apart from a few minor scheduling adjustments, all deliverables and milestones have been achieved as planned. S4R’s first reporting period has established the empirical evidence base, technical infrastructure, and collaborative framework necessary for the next phase of toolbox completion, large-scale testing, and translation of results into policy and practice recommendations.
The 2025 S4R studies collectively advanced the scientific understanding of resilience and mental wellbeing in long-term care through integrated, cross-country evidence. Vartiainen et al. (2025) reviewed 15 studies, finding that most interventions targeted individuals (e.g. mindfulness, coping training) rather than organizational change, with limited quality and almost no economic evidence—underscoring the need for system-level, cost-effective approaches. Ellis et al. (2025) synthesized 89 studies and developed a multi-level model linking micro (individual), meso (organizational), and macro (policy) factors—revealing a mismatch between broad structural drivers of wellbeing and narrowly focused individual interventions. Felder et al. (submitted, 2025) compared long-term care resilience across Europe and Australia, identifying shared workforce shortages and converging strategies such as technological innovation, aging-in-place policies, and task-shifting, providing a comparative framework for policy reform. The S4R quantitative analysis delivered the first large-scale, multi-actor dataset on resilience and wellbeing in elderly care, enabling cross-national benchmarking and multilevel modeling. The S4R qualitative analysis complemented this with rich, contextual insights from seven European countries and Australia, showing how leadership, teamwork, and communication sustain resilience under resource strain. Together, these studies shift the field toward systemic, comparative, and actionable knowledge for building resilient long-term care systems.