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Literature shows that people with a migration background (PwM) with dementia are an especially vulnerable group. Data on the number of PwM with dementia in Germany is scarce meaning the healthcare system faces a challenge of an unknown magnitude. They are mostly not part of the healthcare landscape and lack knowledge about dementia and healthcare services. Healthcare professionals and services do not seem to be culturally sensitive enough and not adequately equipped to take care of PwM with dementia. Therefore, this work focuses on a) estimating the number of PwM with dementia broken down by country of origin and federal state; b) exploring the caregiving experience, barriers of healthcare utilisation and measures to increase utilisation; and c) determining the scope of culturally sensitive information and healthcare services as well as projects on dementia and migration in Germany. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods as well as a scoping review are applied to examine the research focus.
Calculations show that an estimated 96,500 PwM have dementia, presumably mostly originating from Poland, Italy, Turkey, Romania, and the Russian Federation. The majority of affected PwM live in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, and Bavaria. Family members experience similar challenges and consequences as non-migrants in the care of a person with dementia. PwM lack sufficient knowledge of dementia and information regarding the available healthcare services. These are only two of the reasons why the healthcare system is not utilised. To increase utilisation, services should be culturally sensitive and information easily accessible. In addition, easier navigation and the expansion of existing healthcare structures is needed. The scoping review identified 48 culturally sensitive healthcare and information services and projects for PwM with dementia. The majority are located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Hesse, which mirrors the distribution of PwM with dementia in Germany. For the most part, these services offer counselling in different languages. These results confirm that PwM (with dementia) and healthcare professionals need in-depth education on this topic. There should be a focus on the design of information and healthcare services that are tailored in a culturally sensitive way. This dissertation further indicates that culturally sensitive healthcare services, personalised for individual situations on site, should be expanded and also facilitated by not only healthcare professionals and service providers but also by law- and decision-makers. Furthermore, there is a need for cooperation between researchers, healthcare professionals, service providers, healthcare systems, law-makers, and other stakeholders in the field on a national and an international level.