ToPer

The ZuPer joint project addresses key challenges in shaping a low-discrimination and solidarity-based work culture in elderly care. The starting point is the shortage of skilled workers, for which hundreds of thousands of vacancies are predicted by 2049 - especially in rural regions. There, migrant care workers make a significant contribution to the provision of care, but often experience racism, a lack of co-determination and devaluation, which jeopardizes their long-term loyalty to the facilities.

The project examines the conditions under which cooperation in elderly care is possible with little discrimination and solidarity. The focus is on cooperation in diverse teams whose quality is impaired by experiences of racism and structural power asymmetries. ZuPer combines perspectives critical of racism with the strengthening of co-determination in companies. Particular attention is paid to an East-West comparison in order to identify regional challenges in a context-sensitive manner. Participation is facilitated by co-researchers from the care teams who are actively involved in research and solution development.

The aim is to develop sustainable strategies for improving the work culture in close cooperation with two care facilities in North Hesse and Saxony, the Kuratorium Deutsche Altershilfe (KDA) as well as educational stakeholders and civil society partners. The interactive "GemeinsamSolidarisch-Wegweiser" (Together in Solidarity Guide) provides key results and practical recommendations for action. The project thus contributes to strengthening social cohesion, securing skilled workers and developing models for low-discrimination organizational cultures in the care sector.