This was the last stop on my worldwide adventure. While I’m sad this journey is coming to an end, I’m so grateful for all the experiences and lessons it has brought me. For my last location, I headed to Sweden. Most of my time was spent in the capital, Stockholm, and I had the best time.
The city of Stockholm is geographically unique. It spans across 14 islands and is home to over 50 bridges. It’s crazy that all of that lies in the same city. Stockholm has so much to offer whether it’s the old town or it’s coastal attractions. Before my visit I didn’t realize how cool Sweden was, and I’m so glad that I added it to my list of locations.
The coast of Sweden has so much to offer. Fortunately, Stockholm has a plethora of ferries and scenic boat rides that you can take throughout it’s 14 islands. Stockholm is in the part of Sweden where Lake Malaren flows into the Baltic Sea. It’s location is prime for thriving aquatic and coastal ecosystems. One of my favorite experiences in Sweden was taking the ferries to the many gorgeous islands and archipelagos. For those who don’t know, and archipelago is simply a group or cluster of islands. Archipelagos are a beloved feature of Sweden’s environment, I wanted to make sure I took advantage of it. I took a ferry out to the Stockholm archipelago and then I kayaked to the nearby islands. The views were incredible and it was so much fun.
The second best thing I did in Stockholm, was explore the old town or “Gamla Stan”. The area was filled with cobble-stone streets and it had a very medieval vibe. I visited everything from museums to the royal palace, and it was really freeing to just explore at my own ease.
Speaking of the royals, I read an interesting news article while I was stopped at a café in Gamla Stan. It said that Ikea and the Queen of Sweden are designing homes for people with dementia. Sweden’s population is rapidly aging, and the government is struggling to find new ways to support the elder community. Statistics say that by 2040, 1 in 4 Swedes will be 65 or older. This is mostly due to the baby boom after World War 2. Sweden in particular has high life expectancy and most senior care is government funded, so it’s super important that new resources are discovered. Ikea and the company BoKlok believe that the key is making homes suitable for the needs of the elderly community. So much money is spent sending seniors to assisted living homes where they didn’t want to end up anyways, so Ikea and BoKlok think the key is allowing them to be able to remain at home. In order to make these homes accessible for dementia patients, the partnering companies propose the removal of mirrors and changing all electronic controls to old fashioned knobs. They also want to emphasize the outdoors in each of the homes, such as therapeutic gardens or clubhouses. Something like this could be very cost effective, but also have a huge beneficial impact for both parties.
Around the World with Jess 