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Ojembe B, Kapiriri L, Griffin M, Schormans AF. "You're Not Understood, and You're Isolated": A Narrative Account of Loneliness by Black Older Adults in Ontario, Canada. Can J Aging 2024; 43:203-216. [PMID: 38088160 DOI: 10.1017/s0714980823000594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Loneliness among older adults is a leading health and social concern globally and in Canada, including racialized and minoritized groups. Although previous studies have explored loneliness among ethnic minoritized groups in Canada, little is known about the constellating factors contributing to loneliness among native-born and immigrant Black older adults (BOAs) in Canada and their unique ways of dealing with the experience. Our study explores the constellating factors shaping loneliness experiences among BOAs living in Ontario. Using a narrative approach, we purposively selected and interviewed 13 BOAs. Time as a driver of change, a sense of belonging reinforced through place identity, and challenges of making a new home were dominant themes. Our finding highlights the need for increased cultural sensitivity at the micro and macro levels, which will improve a sense of belonging and reduce loneliness among racialized immigrant older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blessing Ojembe
- Department of Health, Aging and Society, Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lydia Kapiriri
- Department of Health, Aging and Society, Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meridith Griffin
- Department of Health, Aging and Society, Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ann Fudge Schormans
- School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Wong V, Franke T, McKay H, Tong C, Macdonald H, Sims-Gould J. Adapting an Effective Health-Promoting Intervention-Choose to Move-for Chinese Older Adults in Canada. J Aging Phys Act 2024; 32:151-162. [PMID: 37917970 DOI: 10.1123/japa.2023-0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Evidence is sparse on how community-based health-promoting programs can be culturally adapted for racially minoritized, immigrant older adult populations. Choose to Move (CTM) is an evidence-based health-promoting program that enhances physical activity and mobility and diminished social isolation and loneliness in older adults in British Columbia, Canada. However, racially minoritized older adults were not reached in initial offerings. We purposively sampled CTM delivery staff (n = 8) from three not-for-profit organizations, in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, that serve Chinese older adults. We used semistructured interviews, ethnographic observations, and meeting minutes to understand delivery staff's perspectives on factors that influence CTM adaptations for Chinese older adults. Deductive framework analysis guided by an adaptation framework, Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced, found three dominant cultural- and immigration-related factors influenced CTM adaptations for Chinese older adults: (a) prioritizations, (b) familiarity, and (c) literacy. Findings may influence future program development and delivery to meet the needs of racially minoritized older adult populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venessa Wong
- Active Aging Research Team, Vancouver, BC,Canada
| | - Thea Franke
- Active Aging Research Team, Vancouver, BC,Canada
| | | | - Catherine Tong
- School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON,Canada
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Tsuchiya K, Taylor HO, Bacong AM, Niño MD. Loneliness and Psychological Distress Among Older Californians: The Moderating Roles of Citizenship Status and English Proficiency. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2024; 79:gbad074. [PMID: 37195426 PMCID: PMC10873521 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Guided by the theory of stress proliferation, our study examined whether loneliness, citizenship status, and English proficiency were associated with psychological distress among older adults, and if citizenship status and English proficiency moderated these relationships. METHODS Using the older adult subsample (65+ years) of the 2019-2020 California Health Interview Survey (N = 15,210), we assessed cross-sectional associations between loneliness, citizenship status, and English proficiency on psychological distress by conducting multivariable linear regression models. Interaction terms were included in subsequent models to determine if citizenship status and English proficiency moderated the relationship between loneliness and psychological distress. RESULTS In unadjusted models, greater loneliness was associated with higher distress. Both naturalized citizens and noncitizens, and those with limited English proficiency (LEP) exhibited greater distress than US born citizens and those who speak English only (EO). After adjusting for sociodemographic and health covariables, loneliness remained significant for distress although the relationships between citizenship status and English proficiency became attenuated. With the inclusion of interactions, the magnitude of the relationship between loneliness and distress was stronger for naturalized citizens and those with LEP than native-born citizens and those who speak EO, respectively. DISCUSSION Loneliness was the most consistent stressor affecting multiple life domains. However, our findings demonstrate that stress proliferation is occurring among older immigrant adults and the interplay between loneliness, citizenship status, and English proficiency is contributing to heightened distress. Further attention is needed in understanding the role of multiple stressors influencing mental health among immigrant older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazumi Tsuchiya
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Harry Owen Taylor
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adrian Matias Bacong
- Center for Asian Health Research and Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Michael David Niño
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arizona, USA
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Chamberlain SA, Salma J, Tong H, Savera, Wu J, Gruneir A. The (un)caring experienced by racialized and/or ethnoculturally diverse residents in supportive living: a qualitative study. BMC Geriatr 2024; 24:78. [PMID: 38245697 PMCID: PMC10800051 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-023-04636-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racialized and/or ethnocultural minority older adults in supportive living settings may not have access to appropriate services and activities. Most supportive living facilities are mainstream (not specific to one group); however, culturally specific facilities are purpose-built to accommodate older adults from a particular group. Our objective was to describe the perspectives of diverse participants about access to culturally appropriate care, accessible services, and social and recreation activities in culturally specific and mainstream (non-specific) supportive living facilities. METHODS We conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 people (11 staff, 8 family members, 2 residents) from 7 supportive living homes (2 culturally specific and 5 mainstream) in Alberta, Canada. We used a rapid qualitative inquiry approach to structure the data collection and analysis. RESULTS Staff and family members described challenges in accessing culturally appropriate care in mainstream facilities. Family members expressed guilt and shame when their relative moved to supportive living, and they specifically described long waitlists for beds in culturally specific homes. Once in the facility, language barriers contributed to quality of care issues (e.g., delayed assessments) and challenges accessing recreation and social activities in both mainstream and culturally specific homes. Mainstream facilities often did not have appropriate food options and had limited supports for religious practices. Residents who had better English language proficiency had an easier transition to supportive living. CONCLUSIONS Racialized and/or ethnoculturally diverse residents in mainstream supportive living facilities did not receive culturally appropriate care. Creating standalone facilities for every cultural group is not feasible; therefore, we must improve the care in mainstream facilities, including recruiting more diverse staff and integrating a wider range of recreation and religious services and food options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Chamberlain
- Faculty of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
| | - Jordana Salma
- Faculty of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Hongmei Tong
- Faculty of Health and Community Studies, MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Savera
- Faculty of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jingfeng Wu
- Engineering Education Research, College of Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Andrea Gruneir
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Klostermann J. Bev Said "No": Learning From Nursing Home Residents About Care Politics in Our Aging Society. THE GERONTOLOGIST 2023; 63:1663-1671. [PMID: 37330624 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023] Open
Abstract
How do nursing home residents decide when, whether, or how to respond to their own and others' care needs when the need to do is constant? What can we learn from them about care politics in our aging society? Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in three long-term residential care homes in Ontario Canada, this article weaves approaches from the arts, humanities, and interpretive sociology to respond to these questions. Contextualizing nursing home residents' stories of care within broader sociocultural and political contexts, I consider how they develop critical and creative insights, not only about direct care or nursing home life but about moral, philosophical, and culturally significant questions relevant to care provision. As political actors engaged in a "politics of responsibility," they put work into navigating, negotiating, and making sense of their own and others' care needs in under-resourced contexts and in relation to circulating narratives about care, aging, and disability. Exposed to constant demands to care for others, residents' stories highlight the importance of expanding cultural narratives to embrace embodied differences or care needs, to help people to talk about their own needs or limits, and to organize care as a shared, collective responsibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Klostermann
- Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Ferrer I, Brotman S, Koehn S. Unravelling the Interconnections of Immigration, Precarious Labour and Racism Across the Life Course. JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORK 2022; 65:797-821. [PMID: 35220899 DOI: 10.1080/01634372.2022.2037805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This paper contributes to the growing body of work on precarious labor, immigration, and social gerontology by examining the racialization of precarious employment across the life course. In particular, the authors examine the impact of precarious employment and discrimination among racialized older immigrants in Canada. Racialized older immigrants are more likely to be disadvantaged by the effects of lifelong intersections of economic and social discrimination rooted in racialization, gender, ageism, and socio-economic status. Drawing from a narrative-photovoice project that focused on the life stories of older immigrants living in Quebec and British Columbia, this paper presents the in-depth stories and photographs of four participants to highlight how intersections of race, gender, age, immigration status, and ability shape and structure experiences of aging, labor market participation and caregiving relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilyan Ferrer
- School of Social Work, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shari Brotman
- School of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sharon Koehn
- Sharon Koehn Consulting, and Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Mistry SK, Ali AM, Yadav UN, Huda MN, Ghimire S, Bestman A, Hossain MB, Reza S, Qasim R, Harris MF. Difficulties faced by older Rohingya (forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals) adults in accessing medical services amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:e007051. [PMID: 34903566 PMCID: PMC8671847 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 has seriously disrupted health services in many countries including Bangladesh. This research aimed to explore whether Rohingya (forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals) older adults in Bangladesh faced difficulties accessing medicines and routine medical care services amid this pandemic. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 Rohingya older adults aged 60 years and above residing in Rohingya refugee camps situated in the Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh and was conducted in October 2020. A purposive sampling technique was followed, and participants' perceived difficulties in accessing medicines and routine medical care were noted through face-to-face interviews. Binary logistic regression models determined the association between outcome and explanatory variables. RESULTS Overall, one-third of the participants reported difficulties in accessing medicines and routine medical care. Significant factors associated with facing difficulties accessing medicine included feelings of loneliness (adjusted OR (AOR) 3.54, 95% CI 1.93 to 6.48), perceptions that older adults were at the highest risk of COVID-19 (AOR 3.35, 95% CI 1.61 to 6.97) and required additional care during COVID-19 (AOR 6.89, 95% CI 3.62 to 13.13). Also, the notable factors associated with difficulties in receiving routine medical care included living more than 30 min walking distance from the health centre (AOR 3.57, 95% CI 1.95 to 6.56), feelings of loneliness (AOR 2.20, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.87), perception that older adults were at the highest risk of COVID-19 (AOR 2.85, 95% CI 1.36 to 5.99) and perception that they required additional care during the pandemic (AOR 4.55, 95% CI 2.48 to 8.35). CONCLUSION Many Rohingya older adults faced difficulties in accessing medicines and routine medical care during this pandemic. This call for policy-makers and relevant stakeholders to re-assess emergency preparedness plans including strategies to provide continuing care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabuj Kanti Mistry
- ARCED Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Department of Public Health, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Arm Mehrab Ali
- ARCED Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Global Research and Data Support, Innovations for Poverty Action, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Uday Narayan Yadav
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Md Nazmul Huda
- School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbeltown, New South Wales, Australia
- The School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Independent University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Saruna Ghimire
- Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Amy Bestman
- The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Md Belal Hossain
- BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sompa Reza
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rubina Qasim
- Dow Institute of Nursing and Midwifery, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Mark F Harris
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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