
Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen
Professor
Law School, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies
Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen is Professor of Law and Ageing. Her research has focused on Elder Law combining jurisprudence (Civil Law and Social- and Medical Law) with social and medical sciences.
Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen received her PhD (law) from the University of Helsinki in 2003. The title of her thesis is “Legal Rights of People with Dementia”. Her second monograph (2013) deals with the legal possibilities to anticipate aging. In autumn 2017, she published a book “Basics of Elder Law” with Anja Karvonen-Kälkäjä.
Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen is involved in many research projects. She is sub-consortium PI in an international research project focusing on the specific issues concerning people who develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment while still working (MCI@work). She is also sub-consortium PI in national research project scrutinizing home-based palliative care of the elderly (MeRela). At the University of Eastern Finland, Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen leads the Neuro-Ethics and Law research team, which is part of the university’s multidisciplinary Neuroscience research community.
Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen teaches Elder and Guardianship law and is a teacher in course “Social Law Clinic”. She is docent (adjunct professor) in Family law at the University of Helsinki and docent (adjunct professor) in Elder law at the University of Lapland.
Research groups
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Brain Research Unit (BRU) - Clinical Trial Unit
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Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration and Early Onset… 01.01.2019 -
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Center of Law and Welfare 01.01.2018 -
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Neuro-Ethics and Law Research Team 01.08.2020 -
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Civil Law Research Group 01.08.2020 -
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House of Effectiveness 01.11.2018 -
Projects
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Safeguarding welfare in times of pandemics Finished 01.01.2022 - 31.12.2024
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Access to justice for marginalized groups of older people in aging society 01.09.2023 - 31.12.2027
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Meaningful relations; Patient and family carer encountering death at home (MeRela)
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Neuro-Innovation 01.05.2021 - 30.04.2026
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Working Life and Memory Impairment - Mental Wellbeing, Legal Security and Occupational Capacity of People with Early Onset Dementia
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Dementia or MCI @ work in progress
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UEF Brain Research Unit 2.0 01.03.2023 - 28.02.2025
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Realization of the rights of people with epilepsy in the welfare state 01.01.2023 - 01.01.2033
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Disability and Dignity 01.09.2021 - 31.08.2025
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Old-age social exclusion in home care - prevalence, meanings & intervention (SOLDEX) 01.09.2021 - 31.08.2025
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Shadows in Paradise? Rights of People with Dementia in a Welfare State 01.01.2022 - 31.05.2032
Publications
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Barriers to Accessing Care and Support Services for Older Immigrants and Immigrants with Dementia in Finland: Perspectives of Professional Social and Health Care Providers
Berg, Alex; Issakainen, Mervi; Ervasti, Kaijus; Montonen, Tero; Solje, Eino; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna. 2025. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology. [Epub ahead of print 7 Mar 2025]: 1-28 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Coming to terms with a changing everyday life with dementia: What can we learn from people who are diagnosed while still working?
Nygård, Louise; Nedlund, Ann-Charlotte; Issakainen, Mervi; Astell, Arlene; Boger, Jennifer; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna; Engvall, Ann-Louise; Heuchemer, Birgit; Rosenberg, Lena; Ryd, Charlotta. 2025. Dementia. [Epub ahead of print 26 Feb 2025]: 1-19 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Hyvinvointi ja oikeudet korona-aikana muistisairaiden ihmisten ja heidän läheistensä kertomana
Issakainen, Mervi; Tiilikainen, Elisa; Ervasti, Kaijus; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna. Teoksessa: Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Lindgren, Minna(toim.) , 2025. Hyvinvointivaltion varjoissa : Muistisairaiden ihmisten oikeuksien toteutuminen. s. 103-119. Gaudeamus A3 Book section, Chapters in research books -
Johdanto
Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Lindgren, Minna; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna. Teoksessa: Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Lindgren, Minna(toim.) , 2025. Hyvinvointivaltion varjoissa : Muistisairaiden ihmisten oikeuksien toteutuminen. s. 9-14. Gaudeamus B2 Book section -
Muistisairaan ihmisen oikeudet
Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna; Nikumaa, Henna; Näkki, Kaisa. Teoksessa: Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Lindgren, Minna(toim.) , 2025. Hyvinvointivaltion varjoissa : Muistisairaiden ihmisten oikeuksien toteutuminen. s. 35-59. Gaudeamus A3 Book section, Chapters in research books -
Muistisairaan ihmisen oikeuksien toteutuminen hyvinvointivaltiossa
Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Nikumaa, Henna; Lindgren, Minna; Savonen, Jenni; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna. Teoksessa: Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Lindgren, Minna(toim.) , 2025. Hyvinvointivaltion varjoissa : Muistisairaiden ihmisten oikeuksien toteutuminen. s. 223-231. Gaudeamus A3 Book section, Chapters in research books -
Muistisairaat vammaisina ihmisinä
Nikumaa, Henna; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna; Nykänen, Eeva. Teoksessa: Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Lindgren, Minna(toim.) , 2025. Hyvinvointivaltion varjoissa : Muistisairaiden ihmisten oikeuksien toteutuminen. s. 165-185. Gaudeamus A3 Book section, Chapters in research books -
Muistisairaiden ihmisten edunvalvontaan määrääminen
Näkki, Kaisa; Solje, Eino; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna; Ervasti, Kaijus. Teoksessa: Ervasti, Kaijus; Obstbaum, Yaira; Lindgren, Minna(toim.) , 2025. Hyvinvointivaltion varjoissa : Muistisairaiden ihmisten oikeuksien toteutuminen. s. 121-144. Gaudeamus A3 Book section, Chapters in research books -
“My Story, Our Rights”—Navigating the System When Living With Young Onset Dementia in Finland
Issakainen, Mervi; Lampinen, Petri; Astell, Arlene; Boger, Jennifer; Nedlund, Ann-Charlotte; Nygård, Louise; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna. 2025. Humanity & society. [Epub ahead of print 14 Mar 2025]: 1-22 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Access to justice in the light of everyday problems and prejudice: A pilot study on the experiences of people with epilepsy in Finland
Issakainen, Mervi; Ervasti, Kaijus; Teerikangas, Minni; Kälviäinen, Reetta; Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna. 2024. Seizure: european journal of epilepsy. 120: 189-193 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research