Social exclusion in aging immigrants: Perspectives of aging Chinese immigrants in Canada

Daniel Wing Leung Lai, Shirley Chau, Hongmei Tong

Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference paperpeer-review

Abstract

The use of social exclusion in addressing poverty and other disadvantages among vulnerable groups has been widely discussed, but mainly in the Western cultural context. Thus, the understanding of the cultural relevance of social exclusion in the Chinese context is limited, particularly in multicultural societies such as Canada. This presentation discusses the socio-cultural relevance of social exclusion in understanding aging Chinese immigrants in Canada. Constructivist grounded theory was the research design adopted for this study. Purposive sampling was used to identify aging Chinese immigrants aged 65 and older who were born outside of Canada. Qualitative interviews were completed with older Chinese immigrants in Vancouver (n=12) and Calgary (n=12). Half of the participants speak Cantonese while the rest are Mandarin-speaking. Although finance plays an important role in the conceptualization of social exclusion in these aging immigrants, exclusion related to family and social relationships surfaces as a prominent theme. Another emerging dimension of social exclusion for these older Chinese is the institutionalization of age-related discrimination and isolation. Immigrant status and language as exclusionary factors have also emerged. While policies and interventions for dealing with social exclusion in Western culture often attempt to address the redistribution of tangible resources, dealing with social exclusion experienced by aging immigrants may require a different approach, one from a more holistic perspective that addresses social relationships and structural influences as priorities.

Conference

Conference40th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology (CAG) and the 4th Pan-American Congress of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG)
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver
Period21/10/1123/10/11
Internet address

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