SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Cultural mediators for effective and adequate health care

In charge of the sub-project:

Caritasverband für die Diözese Osnabrück e.V.

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Target Groups:Unemployed asylum seekers and refugees with an unsecured status of residence who are interested in vocational qualification;

for example

- asylum seekers and persons filing a follow-up asylum application- migrants with a status of toleration or authorization according to §§ 53-55 AuslG (alien law)- (former) refugees of war and of civil war

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Sub - project: QualificationThree modules

Duration in total: 27 months

SPuK – Language and Culture Foundations for an effective health care

Sub - project: Qualification

Intensive language course focussing on the sector of health care:

„German Language in Health Care“

Period: 2 January 2003 – 30 June 2003

2 learning groups with 12 participants each

Module 1, duration: 6 months

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Sub - project: Qualification

Lessons with practical component, „Introduction to the Basic Fields of Health Care“

Period: 1 September 2003 – 31 May 2004

1 learning group with 15 participants

per week: 4 days lessons, 1 day practical training in hospitals

Module 2, duration: 9 months

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Sub - project: Qualification- mediation of language and culture

- training of interpreters

- anatomy and theory of diseases

- legal foundations

- German health system

- IT courses

- guest observing and learning in a hospital

Contents of module 2:

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Sub - project: Qualification

Traineeship accompanied by lessons

Period: 1 June 2004 – 31 May 2005

11 participants

Module 3, duration: 12 months

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Sub - project: Qualification

- establishment of a contact office

- employment as mediators of language and culture

- public relations

- presentation of the service of „Mediation of Language and Culture“

- four-month traineeship in hospitals and similar institutions.

Contents of module 3:

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Results and Experiences-205 contacts between institutions of the regional health care system and migrants / refugees were accompanied by the cultural mediators

Gains for the regional health care sector:

- Saving personals time, especially doctors time

- Enabling successful communication around sensitive issues Support of migrants/ refugees by explaining examinations and

procedures

- Taking away responsibility from children

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Difficulties:

-Uneven demands of minority languages (Russian and Turkish as most demanded languages)

- Sceptics towards the language skills of the mediators

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Sustainability of the service through exploring further possibilities, supported by the DP SAGA

- Networking among mediators

- Exploring further possibilities

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health careGains for the target group:

-“Personal sustainability” after taking part in the qualification measure

- Basis to get a traineeship

- Basis to look for different working areas in the health care sector

- Using short term opportunities in other EQUAL- and ERF-projects

- Looking for jobs, but on a more profound basis

- Access to IT-technologies

SPuK – Language and CultureFoundations for an effective health care

Results and Experiences

- Language abilities used in the community

- Understanding and communicating the health care and the social system

- The qualification measure as “one of the better times in Germany”

Empowerment