Table Of ContentMobilizing for Action
A Report to Help Create
Culturally Responsive Pathways
for Isolated Immigrant Seniors
December, 2008
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Mobilizing for Action was written by Luis Alberto D’Elia, Project Coordinator with
the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council (ESCC), with the exception of the
2008 Edmonton Cultural Profiles section which was written by community writers
listed below. Assistance was provided by ESCC Executive Director Sheila Hallett
and Communications Coordinator Rich Gossen.
Funding for this project was granted by the New Horizons for Seniors Program
and the City of Edmonton Community Services, 2008.
The project was guided by a team of community partners:
Yvonne Chiu of the Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative
Maureen Gross and Jill Chesley of Catholic Social Services
Nasreen Omar of the University of Alberta Hospital
Lucenia Ortiz of the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Judy Sillito of the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
Brenda Wong of Community Services, City of Edmonton
2008 Cultural Profile Writers:
Irene Dormitorio, Judy Sachs, Zaw Moe, Mana Ali, Nasreen Omar, Mieun Kwak,
Nhan Lu, Susana Runge, Firozeh Penhani, Sabah Tahir, Joseph Luri, Nora Abou‐
Absi, Serawit Dafla
Cultural Profile Editors: Michael Tonderai Kariwo, Nasreen Omar and
Rich Gossen
Note: Much of the research on immigrant seniors has failed to recognize
ethnicity or culture as relevant variables in understanding and addressing their
needs. This review is based on the recognition that diversity is not only enriching
but also it poses challenges, and these can be adequately addressed only if
efforts are based on a thorough and respectful understanding of immigrant
seniors’ cultural and ethnic identity. Attempts will be made to keep this
information current on the ESCC website. Please visit www.seniorscouncil.net
and view the issues tab on diversity.
‐ Project Coordinator Luis Alberto D’Elia
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Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 7
Demographics (World, Canada, Alberta and Edmonton) ........................................7
Marginalization of Immigrant Seniors ................................................................... 9
Immigrant seniors spoke out ...................................................................................10
What changes should service providers consider? ..................................................10
Issues for Seniors .................................................................................................. 12
City of Edmonton’s commitment to seniors ............................................................12
What puts a senior at risk? .......................................................................................13
Why do immigrant seniors face added risks? ..........................................................14
Provincial and Municipal Plans Impact Seniors ..................................................... 16
How Cultural Knowledge Can Help Service Providers ............................................ 16
Age discrimination and the importance of culture ..................................................17
Understanding immigrant categories ......................................................................18
Do service providers have a desire to be culturally competent?............................18
A checklist for service providers‐gauge your cultural competence .........................20
Profiling a culture ................................................................................................. 22
Calgary published Cultural Cues ...............................................................................22
Edmonton cultural profiles first developed in 2004 ................................................23
New categories added for Edmonton 2008 cultural profiles ...................................23
Edmonton 2008 Cultural Profiles ....................................................................... 26
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Cultural orientations‐putting the cultural profiles into context ...............................26
Glossary of Cross‐Cultural Terms ..............................................................................32
Profiles of Cultural Communities in Edmonton .........................................................63
Afghan .......................................................................................................................64
Arab ...........................................................................................................................73
Chinese ......................................................................................................................84
Eritrean ......................................................................................................................94
Eastern European ......................................................................................................108
Filipino .......................................................................................................................119
Iranian ........................................................................................................................131
Karen (Burma) ...........................................................................................................145
Korean .......................................................................................................................156
Latin American ...........................................................................................................177
Somali ........................................................................................................................203
South Asian ................................................................................................................211
Sudanese ...................................................................................................................235
Vietnamese ................................................................................................................248
Assumptions and Misconceptions ........................................................................... 256
Are seniors less happy then they were in their youth? .............................................256
Do seniors feel good? .................................................................................................256
Do younger people from diverse communities receive better service? ................................. 256
Going beyond helping immigrants to adapt to unfair conditions ..............................257
Understanding the senior as part of the whole cultural community ........................ 258
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How to Improve Services to Immigrant Seniors ...................................................... 259
Edmonton 2008 Roundtable Consultation‐Challenges Identified ............................ 261
Language barriers ....................................................................................................261
Lack of functionality in the Canadian system ..........................................................262
Family sponsorship/roles of seniors ........................................................................263
Financial difficulties .................................................................................................264
Personal difficulties ..................................................................................................264
Recommendations Emerging from the Edmonton 2008 Roundtable ....................... 265
Reaching out to isolated seniors ..............................................................................265
Participants describe how to make service more culturally responsive............................... 266
Participants describe what has worked for them ....................................................266
Immigrant seniors –their hopes and successes .......................................................267
Roundtable participants’ other recommendations .................................................268
Promising Practices ................................................................................................. 268
Rediscovering capacities for immigrant seniors ......................................................268
Culturally responsive health care ...........................................................................268
Personal one‐to‐one support ...................................................................................270
Community development in small groups ...............................................................270
Community organizing .............................................................................................270
Coalition building .....................................................................................................270
Political action ..........................................................................................................270
Enhancing social support .........................................................................................270
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Encouraging immigrant seniors to participate in policy formation .........................271
Local resources for translations, staff cultural sensitivity training .......................... 271
Canadian Education and Action .............................................................................. 273
Challenges to public education ..................................................................................273
Frequently raised concerns across Canada ................................................................274
Final Words ............................................................................................................. 275
References .............................................................................................................. 277
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Introduction
“In Canada, two interesting demographic trends have been silently progressing: an aging
population and a population growth based upon immigration. These patterns combine to
form a new group of aging immigrants that seems to have evaded notice. For the most part,
gerontological research has failed to recognize ethnicity or culture as a relevant variable and
research on ethnicity has failed to recognize aging as a relevant variable.”
(David Durst, 2005, p. 2)
In recognition of the importance of immigrant and refugee seniors in Edmonton who enrich
us with their diverse ethnicity, this review intends to summarize the current research
literature, statistics, consultations, good practices, cultural and special issues relevant to
immigrant and refugee seniors in the Edmonton area.
Demographics (World, Canada, Alberta and Edmonton)
Seniors are changing and shaping global demographics.
“Population ageing and urbanization are two global trends that together comprise
major forces shaping the 21st century. At the same time as cities are growing, their share of
residents aged 60 years and more is increasing.”
(World Health Organization, 2007, p. 1)
“Today, immigration in Canada has a far‐reaching impact on the country's population growth.
It was responsible for two‐thirds of our population growth in the intercensal period of 2001
and 2006. Due to the settlement pattern of the foreign‐born in the recent decades, the effect
of immigration is mostly felt in Canada's largest urban centres and their surrounding
municipalities.”
(Statistics Canada, 2007b, p. 1)
Immigrants are a significant group of people among seniors in Canada. More than 20 per cent
of all foreign‐born are seniors, and this percentage is higher than the national average (14 per
cent), according to a study based on Statistics Canada data (Durst, 2008).In 2001, some 29 per
cent of individuals aged 65‐74 and 28 per cent of those aged 75 to 84 were immigrants, which
means they were not born in Canada and/or did not have Canadian citizenship at birth
(Turcotte and Schellenberg, 2006). In this same year, almost one‐quarter of immigrant seniors
(23 per cent) belonged to a visible minority group, compared to only 0.8 per cent of Canadian‐
born seniors which represents a significant increase since 1981.
In Alberta, there has been a steady increase of the population aged 65 years and over, from
9.9 per cent of the general provincial population in 1996 to 10.7 per cent in 2006 (Statistics
Canada, 2007). Immigrant seniors in the province have followed the trend. According to
Statistics Canada figures a relatively large share of immigrant seniors from Alberta (25.5 per
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cent) belong to a visible minority group, which is five times the percentage noted in 1981
(Turcotte and Schellenberg, 2006).
More recent immigrants are much more likely to be visible minorities. Among immigrant
seniors who landed in Canada in 1991 or later, 75.6 per cent belonged to a visible minority
group. This was the case for only three per cent of immigrant seniors who came to Canada
before 1961. The top 10 source countries of newcomers in 2007 are China, India, Philippines,
United States, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Iran, Korea, France and Colombia (Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC), 2007).
Newly arrived seniors usually come under the family class category of immigration since they
would most likely be sponsored by their children. In 2007 alone, a total of 236,758
newcomers made Canada their new homeland. By age, 15.6 per cent or 21,033 immigrants
were aged 45 years and older and 6.7 per cent or 6,836 immigrants were parents and
grandparents of permanent residents or Canadian citizens (CIC, 2007).
The recent Federal Census of Canada indicates that the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area
(CMA) has the 6th largest share of immigrants in Canada. In 2006, 189,800 foreign‐born were
living in the Edmonton CMA. This represented 36 per cent of all Albertans born outside of
Canada.
The foreign born population in Edmonton grew by 14.9 per cent between 2001 and 2006,
outpacing the total growth of the CMA (10.6 per cent) and the national growth rate of the
foreign‐born population (13.6 per cent). The majority of recent immigrants (92.6 per cent)
resided in the city of Edmonton in 2006.
Immigrants come to Edmonton for many reasons‐work, family and refuge. Of the 6,045
immigrants who landed in the city of Edmonton in 2006, four out of 10 entered the city
through the economic class. Another 32 per cent of immigrants were sponsored by close
family members and the remaining 14.4 per cent (874) were admitted for humanitarian
reasons.
Language ability is also cited as one of the most important aspects in immigrant settlement,
affecting both social and labor market integration. Of concern is the number of seniors 56+
years who do not speak the official language. For seniors, lack of English may impact
opportunities for social and recreational participation as well as creative intergenerational
communication difficulties in their own families. In 2001, 4.5 per cent of Edmonton seniors
age 75‐84 (or 1179 people) and 6.1 per cent of seniors aged 85 and over (or 507 people) were
recently arrived immigrants who could speak neither English nor French.
Immigration from Asia and Pacific continues to dominate immigration patterns in Edmonton,
accounting for 60 per cent of all immigrants in Edmonton from 2002 to 2006.
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In 2001, Edmonton had the fifth highest proportion of visible minorities among census
metropolitan areas, behind Vancouver, Toronto, Abbotsford and Calgary. Statistics Canada
projections during 2001 and 2017, indicate that the number of visible minorities is projected
to grow by 74 per cent.
Edmonton’s visible minority population remains younger than the general population.
Although the population is aging, in 2001, the median age of the visible minority population is
approximately six years younger than the median age of the rest of the population.
Sources: Statistics Canada (2006), City of Edmonton Corporate Environmental Scan (March,
2008) and Aging in Place‐A Neighbourhood Strategy‐City of Edmonton (2007).
Marginalization of Immigrant Seniors
A Government of Canada study shows that
“a number of factors contribute to the marginalization of ethnic minority seniors.
Barriers to health care and other services such as those stemming from language and cultural
differences, discrimination and racism, or a lack of access to income sources, can lead to
situations of isolation, dependency and poverty. Other factors such as being born in or outside
Canada, the age at immigration and the number of years worked since immigration can also
play significant roles in the degrees to which barriers exist.”
(Government of Canada, NACA, 2005, p. 4)
One important problem is that, according to Stewart, Spitzer, Orti, Khalema and Nsaliwa
(2008), 18 per cent of immigrants are seniors, and they are more likely than other immigrants
to suffer from chronic health conditions. Furthermore, these authors argue that additional
challenges experienced by immigrant seniors have not been fully investigated.
Immigrant seniors spoke out
The results of participatory research on immigrant seniors by Edmonton agencies, supported
by the Multicultural Health Brokers and the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council, were
revealing, and a large number of agency partners got together to assess and address the
findings. Discussions included more than 45 participants from community‐based immigrant
and senior‐serving organizations who developed strategies “to improve immigrant seniors’
access to programs and services” (Action for Healthy Communities, Multicultural Health
Brokers Co‐operative, Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council and Seniors Association of
Greater Edmonton, 2006, p. 1).
Participants
“learned about the needs and circumstances of immigrant and refugee seniors, mapped
immigrant and senior serving organizations to the respective communities, and discussed
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strategies to address core issues facing those communities. Core issues identified through this
study included: 1) language barriers, 2) complex health issues, 3) poverty and income
insecurity, 4) social isolation, 5) lack of housing/homelessness, and 6) transportation issues.
The language barrier was the most discussed issue at this meeting, as it was perceived to be a
causal factor for many other concerns identified in the study.” (Ibid, p. 1)
What changes should service providers consider?
The question is whether support for immigrant seniors’ needs could be obtained for specific
communities. The study by Stewart, et al (2008) found that some important practical support
needs were not fulfilled for the Afro‐Caribbean, Chinese, Kurdish, Spanish, and Yugoslavian
seniors interviewed. Moreover, the better life expected by these seniors did not materialise.
When it came to employment opportunities, either employers felt that the immigrant seniors
were too old to work or the immigrant seniors found that their credentials were not accepted.
On health needs, the “immigrant seniors face additional impediments in accessing health
facilities compared to mainstream seniors” (Khalema, presentation of research results at the
May 15, 2008 Roundtable, Mobilizing for Action: Culturally Responsive Pathways for Isolated
Immigrant Seniors, Edmonton, Alberta).
Furthermore, Stewart, et al’s (2008) research shows that some of the immigrant seniors
studied in Edmonton are homeless and depend on community organizations for basic human
needs such as food and clothing. Similar to the findings of a number of other studies on
immigrants, immigrant seniors identified the English language as the major barrier to
communicating, seeking and accessing social support services. This finding coincides with one
reported by the Multicultural Health Brokers (Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council and
Multicultural Health Brokers Co‐op, 2005) and discussed during the subsequent roundtable
with immigrant seniors and their serving agencies (Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council,
2008).
To add to their isolation, a number of immigrant seniors have restricted mobility and rarely
meet people outside their family to socialize (Stewart, et al, 2008). Most of these seniors’
challenges are aggravated by a lack of information about services and what some feel is an
inequitable distribution of services amongst people of different cultural backgrounds.
The Stewart et al study identifies additional challenges for immigrant seniors, including:
• Social isolation and depleted social networks
• Dealing with family ties or differences (e.g., abuse by children)
• Lack of acceptance by people from other races (specifically in nursing homes)
To these challenges, the study adds “personal barriers” (language barriers and cultural
restrictions on the movement of women), “inaccessibility of programs” (poor information and
language barriers), “hesitancy/fear to ask for services” due to language difficulties; reluctance
to disclose family secrets (e.g. abuse); experiences of being victimized by the government in
their country of origin; and systemic barriers such as government policies that prevent them
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Description:Nhan Lu, Susana Runge, Firozeh Penhani, Sabah Tahir, Joseph Luri, Nora Abou- . Cultural orientations-putting the cultural profiles into context .
