Paraprofessional mediators in the care of elderly migrants in Germany

Integration Department

Project head: Dr. Edward Omeni

The project looks at the practice of cultural mediation and the role of cultural brokers in elder care, focusing on services and projects in Berlin, Dortmund/Leverkusen and Frankfurt/Main, places with a historically high migrant population. Cultural brokers in health and social care function as para-professional mediators who sensitise health and social care professionals to the culture, linguistic needs and religious attitudes of patients and help service users to navigate the system. Little is known about their importance and practices in Germany. It is equally unclear what the relationship is between the facilities and the professional staff (case managers, carers, etc.), the informal cultural mediators and the service users, what the challenges are, how they are addressed, whether there are conflicts, how they are resolved, etc. It is important to know with what kind of support the service users are provided. It is important to find out with which understanding of cultural differences the mediators work. The project examines the local practices of cultural mediation, including the approaches that the respective service providers have developed. The aim of the project is to critically reflect on the strategies and practices and, together with the actors, to revise the existing approaches or develop new approaches and thus positively influence health care.

Funding: Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Institutional funding)