Policy Brief: Six principles to enhance health and social care for older migrants

AUTHORS

Anna Berggren (Linnaeus University), Emina Hadziabdic (Linnaeus University), Nashwa Khatiri (Jade), Benedicte De Koker (HOGENT), Deborah Lambotte (HOGENT), Susanna Lehtovaara (Jade), Miina Inkila (Jade), Katja Ikonen (Jade), Giusy Trogu (Anziani e non Solo), & Caterina Rompianesi (Anziani e non Solo)

PUBLICATION YEAR

2025

DESCRIPTION

High-quality and accessible health and social care services should be provided to all, regardless of age or ethnic or cultural origin. Those in need of health and social care must be approached as persons, and their views, beliefs, and practices must be considered in the planning, delivery and evaluation of care. Care for older persons with a migration background also needs to consider the support needs of their families and informal carers. One important way of improving access to health and social care services is to improve person-centred, diversity-sensitive care through staff training in health and social care professions. This Policy Brief presents six key principles of what person-centred, diversity-sensitive care is and how it can be achieved. These principles were developed based on five workshops in Austria, Sweden, Italy, Finland and Belgium with older persons with migration background and individuals providing health and long-term care for them.