The Empathy map is a powerful collaborative working tool that can enclose and synthesize information to learn in depth about a social group, its attitudes, moods, emotions, and needs. It is presented as a visual representation of all information about a user group divided into as many sections as there are questions that team members are asked to find answers to.
In the context of the European DI.S.C.O.P.M.B. project, two different empathy maps were created in order to develop a training course that is responsive to the current care situation experienced by elderly with a migrant background and their families, as well as to the training needs of the social and health care professionals to whom the course is addressed. The DI.S.C.O.P.M.B. empathy maps investigated what social, health care professionals, older migrant people and their families say, do, think and perceive with respect to the care services at which they work or use.
From the information provided by each DI.S.C.O.P.M.B. partner, it emerged that the social and health care workers, elderly with a MB and their families shared feelings of insecurity, concerns about prejudice, exclusion, and communication barriers, but also hopes to receive and provide high quality care, to feel appreciated as professionals. Taking into account all the input contained in the DI.S.C.O.P.M.B. empathy maps, the partners decided to develop a training curriculum consistent with the needs that emerged, which would explore the following topics: long-term care, care and diversity, awareness of stereotypes and prejudice, and diversity-sensitive skills.
