On March 4-6, the Scalabrini Migration welcomed and hosted the 15-person team led by SOSU (Social, Health and Child Care College) Østjylland, Denmark for their study visit in the Philippines. The team comprised members from SOSU Ostjylland ; Aalborg University, Denmark; Aarhus Kommune, Denmark; FEG, Romania; Taitotalo and Finvibes Consulting Company, Finland; and Trovo vgs, Norway.

Part of the activities included a forum, Elderly Care in the Nordic Countries, in the afternoon of March 4. The forum was attended by participants from the National Commission of Senior Citizens, Department of Migrant Workers, GRACES-Department of Social Welfare and Development, Center for Migrant Advocacy, the private sector—Staffhouse International Resources, SL Search Corporation and the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc., and interested individuals.

The forum introduced the Filipino participants to elderly care in the context of the welfare system in the Nordic countries, key themes in elderly research, and highlights from the ongoing Cultural Synergy project. As presented by Kian Hald Jensen and Sandra Inigo Buhl, the Cultural Synergy project is not focused on the recruitment of caregivers. Rather, it aims to understand the cultural context of Southeast Asian students (including Filipinos) in their caregiving training and transition to workplaces dedicated to elderly care in the Nordic countries. This project is timely in light of the recent agreement between the Philippines and Denmark for the hiring of caregivers which is set to begin in 2027.

SMC and SOSU Østjylland thank the following institutions for welcoming the team—the Center for Career Development, St. Paul University Quezon City; Milagros Elderly Home Care; and Golden Reception Action Center for the Elderly and Other Special Cases (GRACES). The exchange and dialogue promoted mutual learning in the approaches to the care of the elderly.