Sweden’s model for elderly care is characterized by a strong emphasis on geriatrics as a specialized field that combines acute hospital care with rehabilitation, palliative care and community services. In contrast to many countries where older patients are managed on general internal medicine wards, Swedish hospitals have dedicated geriatric clinics, which utilize Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)—an interdisciplinary model that has been shown to improve outcomes and satisfaction for frail elderly persons. The nation’s grey population has led to major investment in new facilities, specialist dementia care and innovative mobile teams bringing hospital-level expertise into residential care settings.
Below is a list of the leading centers in the Stockholm region and further afield for families and international visitors looking for the best geriatric care in Sweden. They range from a non-profit foundation with 150 years of experience in caring for chronic and age-related diseases to acute geriatric wards in modern single-room facilities. Each has specialized services such as cognitive impairment clinics, osteoporosis management, acute geriatric care and advanced home health care (ASIH).
Top 5 Swedish Hospitals Specializing in Elderly Care
- Stockholms Sjukhem
- Södertälje Sjukhus (Geriatric Clinic)
- Norrtälje Sjukhus (Geriatric Clinic)
- NÄL-Uddevalla County Hospital
- St. Göran Hospital (Geriatric Section)
A Closer Look at the Top 5 Swedish Hospitals Specializing in Elderly Care
1. Stockholms Sjukhem
Stockholms Sjukhem is a nonprofit foundation hospital and nursing home that has cared for people with chronic or long-term illnesses since its inauguration in 1867. This private hospital in central Stockholm mainly cooperates with municipalities and the Stockholm County Council through care agreements. Its strengths in domains include advanced home care, geriatric care, rehabilitation, palliative care and residential care for people with illnesses due to old age or neurological or dementia illnesses.
Key Points
- Integrated elderly services: Provides the full continuum of geriatric assessment and rehabilitation to extended residential treatment and palliative services.
- Specialism in dementia: Residential care for people with dementia and other neurological conditions.
- Research and education: A unit for research, development, education and innovation in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet.
- Advanced home care (ASIH): Provides hospital-level care in patients’ homes, avoiding unnecessary admissions.
Achievements
- Over 150 years of continuous operation and clinical excellence.
- Recognized as a center of excellence for palliative care in the Stockholm region.
- Strong academic partnerships with Sweden’s premier medical university.
Feedback
Patients and families appreciate Stockholms Sjukhem for the tradition, continuity of care through different stages of illness and the integration of medical treatment with comfort-focused palliative approaches. The foundation’s nonprofit status will be welcomed by people who value patient-centered care over commercial interests.
Contact Information
Website: https://stockholmssjukhem.se
2. Södertälje Sjukhus (Geriatric Clinic)
Elderly care is one of Södertälje Sjukhus’s most important profile areas, with a clear ambition to drive the development of future geriatric medicine. The geriatric clinic is undergoing a major expansion and three geriatric wards are planned to move into new, modern facilities with single rooms in spring 2026. The clinic operates both inpatient and outpatient services, including acute geriatric care, rehabilitation, cognitive assessment, osteoporosis treatment and specialized palliative care.
Key Points
- Acute Geriatric Care (GAVA): Acute care beds for elderly patients admitted directly from the emergency room, providing immediate access to geriatric expertise.
- Cognitive impairment clinic. Regional care programs have generated a specialist outpatient service for the investigation of dementia.
- Kliniken för multisjuka äldre (multi-morbid elderly) A specialized outpatient clinic for patients with multiple chronic conditions who go to the hospital frequently, with 24-hour telephone access to nurses and scheduled or urgent physician appointments.
- Osteoporosis clinic: A specialist service for investigation and treatment of osteoporosis.
- ASIH and palliative care: Specialized palliative care ward and advanced home healthcare for patients with life-limiting illness.
Achievements
- Appointed by Region Stockholm as a forefront in acute geriatric care.
- Close working relationship with the emergency department, including availability of a geriatric consultant on site.
- New facilities (single rooms) opening in 2026 to improve the comfort of patients and infection control.
Feedback
Healthcare professionals describe working at Södertälje’s geriatric clinic as varied and rewarding, with a supportive team culture and quick decision-making pathways. Integration of geriatrics with internal medicine under one administrative unit is noted for facilitating efficient patient flows and competence development.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.sodertaljesjukhus.se
3. Norrtälje Sjukhus (Geriatric Clinic)
Norrtälje Sjukhus, part of the Tiohundra full-service company in Roslagen, has been well rated by both patients and employees. The geriatric clinic uses a holistic, team-based approach and is based on the Norrtälje Model, an integrated care model that has received national acclaim for its effectiveness. Services include an inpatient geriatric ward, a mobile team for older adults, residential care (SÄBO) support, an osteoporosis clinic and a cognitive clinic.”
Key Points
- Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA): Interdisciplinary assessment tool, used systematically in acute and general geriatrics, orthogeriatrics, rehabilitation and outpatient services.
- Mobile team for older adults: Brings geriatric expertise directly to patients in residential care settings, reducing unnecessary hospital transfers.
- Close cooperation: Close collaboration with the municipality, primary care and other hospitals in Region Stockholm.
- Innovation focus: Nytänkande och innovation (new thinking and innovation) are actively used to meet the future needs of elderly care, adapting the Norrtälje Model to new challenges.
Achievements
- Norrtälje Hospital gets the highest marks from both patients and staff.
- A good cooperation between all departments and a fully equipped emergency hospital.
- The Norrtälje Model of integrated elderly care has been studied and replicated in other regions.
Feedback
The hospital is located in a “fantastic Roslagen environment,” close to the sea, outdoor activities and the charming small-town atmosphere but still close to Stockholm. Staff are a very important part of a community and are proud of their innovative approach to elderly care in the hospital.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.tiohundra.se
4. NÄL-Uddevalla County Hospital
The clinical trial TREEE (Is the TReatment of frail Elderly patients Effective in an Elderly care unit?) was performed at NÄL-Uddevalla County Hospital, western Sweden and was a prospective, controlled intervention study comparing acute treatment in Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) units versus conventional acute medical care. The study of 229 frail patients of 75 years and older showed significantly higher patient satisfaction in the CGA unit for three important measures: access to nursing care, satisfaction with information about diseases and medication and satisfaction with discharge planning.
Key Points
- Evidence-based excellence: The TREEE study provides sound clinical evidence for the superiority of CGA-based acute care for frail elderly patients.
- Direct admission model: patients in the intervention group were admitted directly to the acute elderly care unit, bypassing the usual emergency department pathway.
- Multidisciplinary approach: Organized, systematic interdisciplinary CGA-based care by a specialized geriatric team.
- Patient satisfaction: Significantly more patients in the CGA group reported receiving “the nursing care they needed” in the adjusted analyses (p=0.027).
Achievements
- Peer-reviewed publication demonstrating measurable improvements in patient satisfaction for CGA-based care.
- Serves as a model for other Swedish hospitals wishing to implement or improve geriatric acute care pathways.
- A high response rate (61%) patient satisfaction survey indicates good patient engagement.
Feedback
CGA unit patients were significantly more satisfied with nursing care, provision of information and discharge planning than those receiving conventional care. The study shows in numbers that patients have better experiences on dedicated geriatric units.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.nusjukvarden.se/
5. St. Göran Hospital (Geriatric Section)
St. Göran Hospital in central Stockholm is an acute care hospital with a specialized geriatric section in its department of general internal medicine. The hospital has a strong academic focus and is a teaching hospital affiliated with Karolinska Institutet. Geriatric services provide acute inpatient and outpatient consultation and rehabilitation for frail elderly patients with complex multi-morbid conditions.
Key Points
- Prime location: Located in Stockholm City, accessible for the elderly in the capital and their relatives.
- Academic integration: Linked to Karolinska Institutet to ensure clinical practice is informed by the latest research in geriatric medicine.
- Acute and outpatient care: Manages emergency admissions (usually via the emergency department) and scheduled outpatient assessments.
- Multidisciplinary teams: Doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers work together to develop individual care plans.
Achievements
- One of Stockholm’s major acute hospitals with a dedicated focus on elderly care.
- Training site for medical students and geriatric specialists (ST-läkare).
- Close collaboration with primary care and municipal elderly services.
Feedback
Patients and families appreciate the hospital’s central location and the infusion of geriatric expertise into the overall acute care environment. The academic setting is known to be a resource for those seeking the most recent treatments.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.capiostgoran.se/in-english/
FAQ
What is Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)?
CGA is an interdisciplinary diagnostic and treatment process in geriatric medicine, which is structured and systematic. It evaluates frail older people in a number of areas (medical, psychological, functional and social) in order to create an integrated plan of care. For example, Swedish research, such as the TREEE study at NÄL-Uddevalla, has shown that acute care based on CGA results in significantly higher patient satisfaction than standard medical care.
What is ASIH (advanced home healthcare)?
ASIH (Advanced Home Healthcare) brings hospital-level medical care into the comfort of patients’ homes, with services that include physician visits, nursing care, rehabilitation and palliative support. Both Stockholms Sjukhem and Södertälje Sjukhus have ASIH units for elderly patients who would otherwise need to be hospitalized.
What is GAVA (geriatric acute care beds)?
GAVA (Geriatrisk Akut VårdAvdelning) is a term for designated acute care beds in a geriatric clinic that take patients directly from the emergency room. At Södertälje Sjukhus, GAVA beds are used, which means that frail elderly patients are admitted directly to the care of the geriatric specialty, bypassing the general internal medicine pathway.
What specialized outpatient clinics are available for elderly patients?
Swedish geriatric clinics offer several specialized outpatient services, including:
- Cognitive impairment clinics: For investigation and diagnosis of dementia.
- Osteoporosis Clinics: for Investigation and Treatment of Bone Fragility
- Multisjuka äldre clinics: For patients with multiple chronic conditions, offering 24/7 nurse access.
- Orthogeriatric Services: For elderly fracture patients needing combined orthopedic–geriatric management.
Does Sweden have nursing homes integrated with hospitals?
Yes. Stockholms Sjukhem is an example of the integrated model, with a hospital for acute and rehabilitation care and a nursing home for long-term residential care all on the same campus. This means that patients can move between levels of care without having to change providers.
How does the Norrtälje model work?
The Norrtälje Model is an integrated care model developed at Norrtälje Sjukhus based on close collaboration between the hospital, primary care and the municipal elderly services. The model contains a mobile geriatric team that visits residential care facilities (SÄBO) to handle acute problems locally, thereby reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.
Do Swedish hospitals offer palliative care for elderly patients?
Yes. Södertälje Sjukhus has a special palliative care ward and also a geriatric service. Stockholm Sjukhem is also known for its competent palliative care. These services seek to alleviate symptoms, improve quality of life and provide support to families in the final stages of life.
How do I access geriatric care in Sweden for an elderly relative?
Access is typically through referral from a primary care physician (vårdcentral) or directly via hospital emergency room for acute needs. For non-urgent geriatric assessment, a referral from a general practitioner is required. Patients with Swedish personal identity numbers (personnummer) are covered by the public system. International visitors should have private health insurance or be prepared to pay out-of-pocket. The Stockholm County Council website provides information on accessing care.
