Making invisible care work visible

This year, 220 young researchers submitted their project ideas to the university competition organized by "Wissenschaft im Dialog". One of the ten winners is a team from Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences (RWU): The project submitted was "PflegeZukunft2050 - Hausliche Pflege für Menschen mit Demenz und ihrer beteiligten Personen weiterentwickeln" (CareFuture2050 - Developing home care for people with dementia and the people involved) by Irena Schreyer, course coordinator and academic assistant in the nursing degree program. The winning teams will each receive 10,000 euros in prize money, which they can use to implement their ideas by the end of 2026.

RWU project draws attention to problems in home care

Schreyer's project focuses on the problems associated with the care of people with cognitive impairments by Eastern European domestic helpers (migrant care workers). Her idea is an interactive play in which the audience is encouraged to take on the roles of migrant care workers, relatives and care professionals in order to collect and test proposed solutions for the future.

The starting point is the research results of her dissertation on the subject. By translating them into a play, the scientific findings are to be communicated in an understandable and emotionally accessible way. Another aim of the project is to build mutual understanding and appreciation between migrant care workers, relatives and professional actors and, ideally, to develop concrete ideas for the future for cooperative, fair and sustainable care structures together with the population.

Making invisible care work visible

"The project makes invisible care work visible and uses realistic scenes to show role ambiguities, communication breakdowns, coordination problems, burdens and resources in the domestic setting," says Irena Schreyer.

Specifically, there will be publicly accessible performances in cultural centers in Baden-Württemberg. The audience, outpatient care services, GPs and advice centers will then have the opportunity to exchange ideas in moderated follow-up discussions and future forums.

The motto of the Science Year 2026 is "Medicine of the Future". The competition is organized in cooperation with the Federal Association of University Communication, the German Rectors' Conference, the Young Academy and this year with the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space as part of the Year of Science.