Minority elderly health and social care in Europe: summary findings of the Minority Elderly Care Project (MEC) Project

This research briefing provides an overview of the key results from the Minority Elderly Care Project (MEC) Project (2002-2004) across the 10 participating countries:

• UK
• Finland
• France
• Netherlands
• Spain
• Germany
• Hungary
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Switzerland

The aim of MEC project is to inform and help plan the nature and direction of provision of health and social care services now and in the years to come. The project has the explicit intention of seeking to draw attention to the needs of minority ethnic (ME) elders and thereby improve the provision of services for them throughout Europe. This report highlights some of the key findings and presents recommendations for action across the region.

The research surveys the circumstances and opinions of more than 20 different ethnic groups across Europe, and addresses service issues from three dimensions: ME elders, health and social care professionals (including managers and planners) and the ME voluntary sector, which provides a significant amount of social care to ME elders.

While each country has its individual and specific findings, the report identifies a number of common themes across different countries:

• family: family was very important to ME elders in all countries and not surprisingly, most elders preferred to be looked after by their family in their own home. Yet, despite a strong desire for independence it was apparent that family circumstances are changing and there are many elders, especially women, who live alone
• socio-economic situation: it is apparent that in every country there were significant proportions of ME elders on low incomes which were substantially less than the average incomes for elderly in the country concerned
• language: for some of the ME groups their first language was the same as their country of settlement or residence - this was particularly the case with regard to indigenous minorities and repatriates. However, for many others the language of their country of settlement was not their first language
• health: in all countries there were quite significant proportions who described their general health as poor or very poor and these elders needed more medical treatment. There are striking differences in the incidence of various serious diseases and conditions across the ethnic groups. In particular, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease have alarmingly high rates in certain groups
• use of services: the use of different health and social care services is not uniform across the different ethnic groups and countries. While each country has its own systems and procedures it is apparent that in all countries there are some elders who are failing to gain access to services. The results show that some groups face more barriers than others
• service quality - expectations and perceptions: in every country there were gaps between what the elders expect of service providers and the perceptions of how services are delivered Two themes which emerge particularly across countries are that ME elders wish to be treated with respect and for staff to behave with integrity; and that, in many cases, there is a lack of information on the services available and how to access them.

The report finishes with series of recommendations for future service provision, including:

• recognition that ME elders are included in the formulation and shaping of policies
• improving the supply of information on existing and new services in appropriate languages and different media
• recognising the differences in prevalence of different diseases and conditions among ethnic groups and seek to understand their underlying causes
• recognising changing family structures and preferences among ethnic minorities as well as demographic trends and provide for greater demand for care services in the future
• initial professional training and continuing professional development must include training in cultural, age and race equality competence.