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Intersectionality and its relevance for research in dementia care of people with a migration background

Intersektionalität und ihre Bedeutung für die Demenzforschung bei Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund

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Abstract

Background

Despite the care and support needs of migrants affected by dementia differing from the population of the country where they live now, most European countries do not provide specific strategies to address migration in their national dementia plans. The concept of intersectionality provides an innovative approach to dementia care perspectives and methodologies.

Objective

The aim is to define intersectionality and to provide examples of applying the concept to dementia care research, focusing on people with a migration background.

Methods

This article was conceptualized and discussed during virtual INTERDEM taskforce meetings in 2020/2021, while discussing identified literature on intersectionality, migration, and dementia care research.

Results

Using an intersectionality framework allows understanding of a person’s lived experience by considering the dimensionality, co-occurrence and interlocking of factors (e.g., sex/gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, migration status, geographic location/place).

Conclusion

Intersectionality can be applied as a conceptual and methodological approach to identify and address gaps in perspectives and in (dementia care) research to overcome the threat of ignorance, exclusion and discrimination.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund

Obwohl sich die Bedürfnisse und Bedarfe an Pflege und Unterstützung für Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund sowie deren Zugang zu Gesundheitsleistungen oft von denen anderer Menschen, die von Demenz betroffen sind, unterscheiden, adressieren die meisten europäischen Länder Migration nicht in ihren nationalen Demenzstrategien. Das Konzept der „Intersektionalität“ bietet einen innovativen methodologischen und perspektivischen Zugang zu Demenz.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ziel ist es Intersektionalität zu definieren und Anwendungsbeispiele des Konzepts im Kontext der Demenzversorgungsforschung – mit Fokus auf Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund – aufzuzeigen.

Methoden

Dieser Artikel wurde im Rahmen virtueller INTERDEM-Taskforce-Treffen 2020/2021 konzipiert und diskutiert, um eine auf Intersektionalität fundierte Basis für zukünftige Demenzforschung zu formulieren. Dabei wurde die identifizierte Literatur zu Intersektionalität, Migration und Demenzversorgungsforschung betrachtet.

Ergebnisse

Die Anwendung von Intersektionalität als analytischem Rahmen erlaubt es, die gelebte Erfahrung einer Person zu verstehen, indem die Dimensionalität, das gleichzeitige Auftreten sowie die Verschränkung von Faktoren wie geschlechtlicher Identität, sozioökonomischem Status, Ethnie, Migrationsstatus und geografischem Ort beachtet werden.

Schlussfolgerung

Intersektionalität und intersektionale Analysen können als konzeptioneller und methodologischer Zugang angewendet werden, um Lücken in der Demenzversorgung und -forschung zu identifizieren, zu adressieren und damit möglicher Ignoranz, Exklusion und Diskriminierung entgegenzuwirken.

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Notes

  1. https://interdem.org/.

  2. virtual InterDem Meetings in 2020/2021.

  3. Based on the baseline discussion presented here, we are preparing a scoping review.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Witten, Germany

    Martina Roes, Franziska Laporte Uribe & Viktoria Peters-Nehrenheim

  2. Witten/Herdecke University, Stockumer Str. 12, 58453, Witten, Germany

    Martina Roes & Franziska Laporte Uribe

  3. PharosDutch Centre of Expertise on Health Disparities, Radboud University, Zwolle, Overijssel, The Netherlands

    Carolien Smits

  4. Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Health, Social and Welfare Studies, University of South-Eastern Norway, Campus Vestfold, Kongsberg, Norway

    Aud Johannessen

  5. Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Neurogenetics, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK

    Georgina Charlesworth

  6. Centre For Applied Dementia Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK

    Sahdia Parveen

  7. Department in Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    Nicole Mueller

  8. School of Health Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK

    Catrin Hedd Jones

  9. Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Rostock/Greifswald, Germany

    René Thyrian & Jessica Monsees

  10. Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    René Thyrian

  11. Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Hürrem Tezcan-Güntekin

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  1. Martina Roes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martina Roes.

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Conflict of interest

M. Roes, F. Laporte Uribe, V. Peters-Nehrenheim, C. Smits, A. Johannessen, G. Charlesworth, S. Parveen, N. Mueller, C. Hedd Jones, R. Thyrian, J. Monsees and H. Tezcan-Güntekin declare that they have no competing interests.

For this article no studies with human participants or animals were performed by any of the authors. All studies mentioned were in accordance with the ethical standards indicated in each case.

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Roes, M., Laporte Uribe, F., Peters-Nehrenheim, V. et al. Intersectionality and its relevance for research in dementia care of people with a migration background. Z Gerontol Geriat 55, 287–291 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-022-02058-y

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