Diversity Sensitive Care of Older People With Migrant Background And Their Families

<< Background >>The project was initiated in response to the growing need for equitable, person-centred care in increasing multicultural societies across Europe. Despite policy frameworks promoting equal access, research from across Europe highlights that health and social care systems remain poorly equipped to meet the complex needs of older people with migrant backgrounds and their families. Health and social care professionals often lack training in how to best deliver culturally competent care, and students report acquiring awareness through informal means rather than structured education. Older people with migrant backgrounds and their families express a desire to maintain their cultural identity in care, yet services are rarely adapted to support this. Diversity-sensitive care was perceived as challenging by professionals, and barriers to access persist. The project addressed these gaps by developing flexible, relevant training models (as deemed by older people with migrant backgrounds, health and social care professionals, and students), open educational resources, and policy briefs that promote a diverse-sensitive understanding and adaptability, leading to improved care practices among health and social care professionals in Europe.<< Objectives >>The project aimed to strengthen person-centred, diversity-sensitive care by (1) co-creating and piloting an interactive training package (~30–40 hours/≈1.5 ECTS) for Bachelor and Master students in health and social care programmes, and educators in social and healthcare professions (e.g. social work, nursing, medical education, allied professions); (2) building and testing a multi-language Open Educational Resource (OER) to support self-paced learning by health and social care professionals and students across Europe; and (3) developing key policy recommendations based on participatory workshops. The project aimed to engage at least 100 learners and reach a broader network of over 500 stakeholders, ensuring relevance, uptake, and potential for long-term impact in health and social care education and practice.<< Implementation >>The project developed and piloted the D.S.C.O.P.M.B. flexible training programme and multilingual Open Educational Resource (OER) to support person-centred, diverse-sensitive care for older migrants and their families. By mid-2023, the training had been tested with over 240 learners and 500 stakeholders, demonstrating high satisfaction and improved learning outcomes. The OER, launched in September 2024, reached over 200 users, with a 30% increase in perceived learning capacity with regards to diversity-sensitive, person-centred care.Key impact activities included national stakeholder workshops (February–December 2023) in European countries, a comparative policy brief, an EU webinar series (October 2024–March 2025), and a final dissemination event at the European Parliament. Over 500 stakeholders were reached, with 70% reporting increased awareness of diversity-sensitive care.Two policy briefs were shared with national and EU policymakers, published in the European Centre’s Briefs series and on the project website. Project management and quality assurance were ensured through six internal evaluations, regular partnership surveys, and three transnational meetings.<< Results >>The project delivered six core outputs:1.A four-module training programme (30–40 hours/≈1,5 ECTS), developed and piloted in five languages (sv, en, it, fi, nl) and translated into sv, en, it, fi, nl, and de aimed at improving person-centred, diversity-sensitive care for older people with migration backgrounds.2.A free, multilingual Open Educational Resource (OER), publicly available online.3.Two policy briefs offering guidance on inclusive care and education policy.4.A stakeholder network, built through a five-part webinar series.5.A comparative overview of challenges faced by older migrants across countries.6.A final dissemination event at the European Parliament.The training was piloted with 276 participants (health and social care professionals and students), and over 200 completed the online course. Evaluations showed a 50% average increase in perceived capacity, exceeding the 30% target. Learners particularly appreciated the interactive exercises. Satisfaction varied: clarity of language and time estimation scored lower, but support resources and content structure were rated positively. Dissemination materials (leaflets, press releases, newsletters) were produced in six languages (sv, en, it, fi, nl and de).