ENIEC members have come together to share experiences with members of the Network Zorgpartners in The Hague. Ronald Lekkerkerker, member of both networks has organized this meeting in cooperation 
with Elizabeth De Vries to link the expertise and opportunities of these two organizations
“In ENIEC, we excel in health and social care among older adults with a migrant background. We share knowledge and good practices in different fields, but we give limited attention to eating & drinking. On the contrary, the Network Care Partners pays a lot of attention to food & drink but limited to food & drink for the elderly with a migration background” said Ronald Lekkerkerker.
During the event, Elizabeth de Vries, Jan Booij, Roy Wesenhagen, Aziza Aachiche, Freddy May, Mohamed Baba, Ronald Lekkerkerker and our Chair Lola Casal, have represented ENIEC and have shared different practices and experiences to challenge members of the Network Zorgpartner to include diversity 
and multiculturality as key elements in their business strategies.
Hanna Murray – Carlsson presented the results of her research “Het belang van sfeer en beleving tav eten & drinken van oudere migranten” and explained that from her data, the second most important factor for old migrants in nursing facilities was food. Mohamed Baba and Jan Booij, former Chairs of ENIEC, stressed the relevance of all stakeholders when we talk about care. “Food industries are key when we talk about intercultural social and health 
care, and they must assume their responsibility”. Also, Roy Wesenhagen presented different business possibilities that the sector offers. Freddy May stated that health of old migrants is worst of local older adults, due to the stress migration process, the lack of informal support, job conditions, and financial situation, “old migrants live 10 years less than local people”.
The meeting ended with an interesting and inspiring group-discussion facilitated by Ronald Lekkerkerker around the following 6 key questions.
- Eating like home at home for an elderly person with a migration background is not possible within a healthcare institution. True not true
- It is not about the quality of the food but trust is a problem. True not true
- Food and drink for the elderly with a migrant background is an interesting bussiness. True not true
- Cooking to all mouths is practically impossible due to the great diversity. True not true
- The business community cannot currently offer what the market demands. True not true
- There are already many healthcare organizations that are well-suited to elderly people with a migration background. True not true
