Hakki Dermikapu

Area of work:
Health

Specific field of expertise:

Type of work:
Diversity-responsive, patient-oriented care / Advance care planning for people with a migration background

What does ENIEC mean to you or your work?:
Networking with experts in culturally sensitive care and sharing knowledge

More about Hakki

I am a general practitioner in Brussels, researcher and lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of General Practice and Chronic Care. I am also the coordinating and consulting physician at the Saphir nursing home and one of the driving forces behind the culturally sensitive approach and person-centered care for elderly Muslims we implement at Saphir. In short, elderly people with a migration background are my daily work domain.

How did you get to know ENIEC?

Years ago, I came across a brochure from ENIEC, which Saloua Berdai also contributed to, featuring portraits of elderly people. It was then that I thought for the first time: how can I become part of this? Years went by, and a few years ago, I received another invitation from Olivia Vanmechelen to become a member, but due to my busy schedule, it didn't happen. Last year, I visited the website and participated in the online meeting with a very interesting program and speakers. I promised to join after defending my doctoral thesis, and when I received the invitation again this year, I didn't hesitate.

You participated in the ENIEC Meeting in Nijmegen for the first time this year. How do you look back on it?

I found it really great, truly. What I particularly liked was that everyone is so open, everyone wants to talk and get to know each other. And the best part was: everyone shares the same ideas as you, namely: how can we improve care for people with a migration background? The fact that we all have the same mindset makes it more interesting and enjoyable. Being able to exchange ideas on this specific theme with colleagues from other countries and cultures is unique and truly enriching for me. I am active in several international networks, associations, and conferences in the healthcare sector, but I don't think there is anything like this at the intersection of culturally sensitive care and elderly care.

During the annual meeting, I had the opportunity to meet many people, exchange ideas, and I can now use this to find partners for a European project we want to set up. Thanks to the contacts and information about the members on the website, I can ask them if they are interested in collaborating, and I have already received positive responses from several members, or they connect me with someone else... I also received an invitation from Frederic Lauscher to visit Frankfurt, where they have 20 years of experience in culturally sensitive care at their nursing home. The openness and willingness to share are particularly beautiful. It's just a pity that not everyone has their contact details on the website yet...;-)

What idea or insight do you take away?

What positively surprised me was the experience Sevilay shared about the Imean project, where Turkish elderly people, even if they are low-literate, are willing to learn to use new digital tools. The prevailing image is that this is impossible with first-generation migrants who are low-literate; it is very refreshing to see that with the right approach and necessary time, there is openness to new things among this group of elderly people. We remain stuck in the cliché that this cannot be done. We also forget that there is a lot of loneliness among elderly people with a migration background; the idea persists that they are well surrounded by family, but this is certainly not the case for everyone. So daring to look at new technologies to break this and provide better care is very valuable and inspiring.

Another insight I learned is from the online session. Saloua and Mehmet learned me that older people with a migration background are often instrumentalised in research, migrant associations are consulted for free input for research, but receive nothing in return. This was also an eye-opener for me that I take into my daily work.

In short, ENIEC is enriching on all levels, both in terms of knowledge and networking.