In the last months, several new people have joined our network. Some members are new, others are old members who are returning. Who are they, and why did they decide to join ENIEC?
Mehmet Uygun, Club Welzijn, the Netherlands
I have been working as a neighborhood participation coordinator, social worker and neighborhood advisor for years and enjoy helping people in all kinds of areas.
one of my target groups is also the elderly, I have known ENIEC almost from the beginning and I was a member, but due to circumstances I was not actively involved in the last few years. Now I have more time and I find it fun and important to get back to work.
Chloé Linne Vermeulen, Student at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
After finishing high school a year and a half ago, I started studying public administration last year (at Erasmus University in Rotterdam). I chose to do this because of my interest in politics, governance and human rights and the complex problems and situations they bring at local, regional, international and global levels.
Because I find these topics interesting, I am looking for an opportunity to learn more about them on a larger and more interactive scale. So when my mother told me about Eniec, this seemed like a great opportunity
Sevilay Luiken-Dalli, Director and founder, IMEAN Care, the Netherlands
My parents where the first generation guest workers in the Netherlands from Turkey and my father had dementia.
25 years of working in healthcare, experience as a project leader, location manager, social worker and founder/owner of IMEAN care |Academy| Consultancy. I worked as a healthcare professional for 25 years, I saw how complicated it was for elderly migrant people to receive the right care.
At IMEAN Care we have a culture sensitif daycare, home guidance, casemanager dementia for elderly migrants. At Academy we give workshops, training to professionals on culturally sensitive working with elderly (migrants with and without dementia). At Consultancy we have two projects ‘Ehealth’ and ‘culture sensitif residential care’.
Bianca Schneider, Program coordinator at Haags Ontmoeten, the Netherlands
Bianca works for ‘Haags Ontmoeten’, which was set up on the initiative of the municipality of The Hague as part of The Hague Senior-friendly city and the Informal Care action program.Haags Ontmoeten is a place in the neighborhood where all independently living elderly people and their informal caregivers can walk in freely. It is a place to meet, share experiences and relax. You can have a drink together and/or participate in all kinds of activities.
Pamela Suero, PhD researcher, HOMeAGE network VUB, Belgium
I’m a social policy specialist and researcher from the Dominican Republic working in Belgium. I’m currently a PhD student at the Vrije Universeit Brussel (VUB) on the topic of ageing in place from a human rights perspective, integrating also decolonial and intersectional approaches. I will be researching the experience of older migrants from Latin America in Europe. I’m part of a European-wide academic network called HOMeAGE, which is advancing research on ageing in place. For the last 18 years, I’ve worked mostly in policymaking at the international level, supporting governments, communities and international agencies in innovation and development of social and economic inclusion policies, programmes and projects, including care of vulnerable older persons. I’m motivated by a strong commitment to social justice and to the promotion of social transformations through rights-based policy development.
Michael Echteld. PHAROS, the Netherlands
I am a researcher on health in older migrants, specially interested in health inequalities. I am also interested in public engagement in elderly care and palliative care, focusing on migrants.
Thuzar Khin Myat, Frankfurter Verband für Alten- und Behindertenhilfe e.V., Germany
I am working for Frankfurter Verband as deputy director for our nursing homes and day care centers.
Olaf Höwer, Frankfurter Verband für Alten- und Behindertenhilfe e.V., Germany
Working for Frankfurter Verband and now following Ute Bychowski in her position as director for our nursing homes and day care centers
Anneke Vanden Bulcke, Departement gezondheid en zorg, City of Gente, Belgium
I have been working for a year on the themes of digital inclusion and diversity in the local service centers of Ghent. So, I collaborate with various colleagues and volunteers to make our centers welcoming places where everyone feels included. We strive to create spaces where everyone can participate in activities that resonate with them, fostering connections with others. Additionally, we aim to bring older adults on board the digital train and provide support to those who may have missed it.
