Arcavia

The Home Care Advantage: Senior Immigrants in Canada

Challenges Faced ByImmigrant Seniors

 

Seniors in Canada face many obstacles that prevent them from living a healthy life in their golden years. However, seniors who are immigrants from other countries may in fact face even greater challenges than their non-immigrant peers.

As the Canadian National Advisory on Aging, states: “Ethnocultural minority seniors face a number of barriers to accessing health care. Culturally specific belief patterns about illness and health influence perceptions of illness and attitudes towards health care utilization and may influence an older person’s willingness to consult a health professional, resulting in undetected health problems” 1

Additionally, a 2023 report from Statistics Canada confirms that “While racialized immigrant men had a significantly higher prevalence of loneliness than men born in Canada, immigrant women of European background were more likely to report they felt lonely than their Canadian female peers” 2

Cultural belief patterns and perception biases are challenges elderly immigrants in Toronto must confront, but they are not the only ones. One of the biggest hurdles is language barriers, as many immigrant seniors may also not be able to explain their health conditions effectively, ask for the type of Home Care Services in Toronto they need, or ascertain whether the service exists. And, even if the service has been identified, language and cultural barriers may still impede adequate access in the future. 1

In addition to the common challenges faced with communication difficulties that stem from language and cultural differences, elderly immigrants can also be exposed to inappropriate health care, such as inefficient treatments, ineffective treatments, or unnecessary testing, and premature discharge.1

Long Term Care For Immigrants

 

“More and more seniors of ethnic minorities are being institutionalized in facilities that were created for the dominant culture. While most seniors entering a long-term care facility face many challenges (due to a change of living environment, loss of support system, and loss of independence and privacy), adjustment is even harder for ethnic minority seniors. Researchers have identified three main difficulties for this group: loss of family, loss of culture (including the ability to communicate in own language), and loss of community. How seniors cope with these losses varies and is often influenced by cultural norms. For example, seniors from ethnic groups whose cultural norms demand adult children to care for aging parents may experience feelings of shame, rejection, and dishonor.” 1

The goal for many immigrant seniors is to live a life of freedom and to live as they choose. To do so, they understand that they should stay out of communal living facilities or institutions for as long as possible. This is because for many immigrant seniors, these institutions do not offer language or cultural support and in many cases may be an opportunity for further social isolation which may lead to malnutrition, immobility, depression, dementia, etc. Cultural Connections, family support, and community services are all essential elements to keeping elderly immigrants living in good health.

Family and Cultural Community Support

 

“There is a common assumption that most seniors from ethnic minority communities are cared for by their families, that is, that “they look after their own.” While there remains more to learn about ethnicity and patterns of family support for older relatives, we do know that co-residency of families can be an important factor for support and there appears to be a great variation in the degree to which family support is provided.Although cultural norms are often assumed to be the main explanation given for co-residency, in many cases it may simply be a result of economic necessity: adult children who sponsor their parents are financially responsible for them for ten years after they arrive in Canada. Yet, little is known about the quality of support provided to seniors in these settings and the impact of this dependency on their well-being.”1

Often culturally speaking many children of immigrants feel it is their obligation to look after their parents. This may be due to a variety of reasons including but not limited to income disparity, language barriers, cultural norms, upbringing, or knowing that their parents may not have the capability to access all the social services offered in the country. Lower levels of access to social support for immigrant seniors may also lead to other more concerning health detriments.

“Lower levels of social support among immigrants may lead to higher levels of loneliness, compared with the Canadian-born population. Immigrants are more susceptible to lower levels of social support because of disruptions in their social network and the challenges of establishing friendships in a new country. Moreover, feelings of perceived discrimination because of being an immigrant or ethnic minority, a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health, and lower life satisfaction than the host-country population may be potential contributing factors.” 3

As the research indicates, Immigrant seniors are most likely to become marginalized by society compared to their non-immigrant peers. Programs such as those offered by culturally conscious Home Care service providers are vital in keeping the elderly, especially racialized immigrants, in better health, through regular contact, communication, and attention. These programs can make the difference between an elderly immigrant who is cared for and supported to live a healthy life or an elderly immigrant who can become socially isolated, malnourished, frail, immobile, depressed, or experience compounding health issues.

The Arcavia Home Care Advantage

 

Arcavia Home Care works with all types of organizations that serve and cater to our elderly population. This includes hospitals, rehabilitation centers, local clinics, pharmacies, geriatric centers, and a host of other companies, program providers, and service deliverers, to ensure no one is left unserved. We recognize the growing need for elderly immigrant home care and for temporary quality staff support for our partnering facilities. At Arcavia Home Care, our primary goal is to extend the quality of life of our patients. We extend the quality of life of every patient by supplying tailored programs that ensure our patients receive the best level of care at the most affordable rates.

To learn more about our programs or to become a partner organization contact us at homecare@arcavia.ca

References

 

1 Government of Canada, National Advisory Council on Aging, 2005. Seniors on the Margins: Seniors from Ethnocultural Minorities. Toronto, Ontario: naca-ccnta.ca: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/H88-5-1-2005E.pdf

2 Kueng, Nicholas, Toronto Star, 2023. Lonely in Canada: How older immigrants are struggling with a ‘public health emergency’. Toronto, Ontario: thestar.com: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/lonely-in-canada-how-older-immigrants-are-struggling-with-a-public-health-emergency/article

3 Islam, Gilmor, Government of Canada – Statistics Canada, 2023. Immigrant status and loneliness among older Canadians. Toronto, Ontario: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/82-003-x/2023007/article/00001-eng.pdf?st=sFHCAjKu

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