The Care Factories
29.01.2026
Health narratives often emphasise individual responsibilities, overlooking the importance of collective factors such as the type of work and its organisation. Researchers from the "InMigrHealth - Investigating Migrants' Occupational Health" project at the Universities of Padua, Messina, and Turin (funded by the PNRR among the projects of national relevant interest) aimed to revisit the link between work and health. They did so using tools from their respective disciplines – sociology, anthropology, epidemiology, and statistics – and focusing on a highly feminised occupation with a significant presence of staff with migrant backgrounds: healthcare workers (OSS) in residential care facilities (RSA).
The video "The Care Factories," produced by SMK Factory, explores this theme through the experiences of Lukenge Lunanga, OSS and union delegate, Francesca Polizzi, OSS on union leave, and Costanza Galanti, sociologist of the project. Lukenge describes the stress and physical wear caused by working in RSAs, while Francesca highlights the need for a collective struggle to improve working conditions and criticise inadequate regional policies and collective agreements. Costanza confirms, through data collected by her research group, the link between work organisation and the negative health conditions of OSS workers.
The study, enriched by audio interviews and archival material, underscores the devastating consequences of a work organisation similar to that of a factory. In the finale, it offers a perspective of hope, suggesting that a different work organisation could improve the effectiveness and humanity of care, while also making the work of OSS workers more rewarding. The video concludes with the words of researcher Costanza Galanti, who reiterates that this is not "the only way in which healthcare services can be organised," adding: "we imagine that with a different work organisation, care could be more effective, more humane, and the work for OSS workers more rewarding."
The video production team includes Claudio Cadei, Nicola Zambelli, Luigi D'Alife, Angelica Gentilini, Costanza Galanti, and Valeria Piro. The InMigrHealth research group involves experts from the Universities of Padua, Turin, and Messina, including Valeria Piro, Francesca Alice Vianello, Camilla De Ambroggi, Noemi Martorano, Fulvio Ricceri, Alberto Bentsik, Dario Fontana, Giuliana Sanò, Veronica Buffon, and Domenica Farinella.
