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Challenging expectations of care among older Tibetans living in India and Switzerland
- Author:
- WANGMO Tenzin
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 30(5), July 2010, pp.879-896.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper directly compares the expectation and reality of care of 16 older Tibetans living in India, a developing country, with 14 living in the developed country of Switzerland (n = 30, 12 women, 18 men, average age 73). The first to offer refugee status to Tibetans, Switzerland and India are the two oldest communities of Tibetans and interviews were conducted in 2007-2008, nearly 50 years after they began. The changes to intergenerational relationships, filial piety in Asian society, context and socioeconomic group are examined. Most participants in India had limited resources and needed financial support, with parents with many children, and children resident in developed countries receiving better financial support and collective care than those with one child or all of their children still living in India. Participants in Switzerland were entitled to old age benefits, so required emotional support and affirmation only, but dissatisfaction when grown up children adopted western values and the family’s cultural continuity and identity could be lost, was evident. The authors call for old age benefit provision to Tibetans in developing countries, to ensure minimum levels of finance and independence, and in developed countries the promotion of mutual definitions of filial piety among different generations of refugees and immigrants would also help minimise potential problems within intergenerational relationships.
Minority elderly health and social care in Europe: summary findings of the minority elderly care (MEC) project
- Editors:
- PATEL Naina, (ed.)
- Publisher:
- Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 13p.
- Place of publication:
- Bolton
This report, using data from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Switzerland, is designed to inform and help plan the nature and direction of provision of health and social care services in the years to come. The project has the explicit intention of seeking to draw attention to the needs of minority ethnic (ME) elders and thereby improve the provision of services for them throughout Europe. Key findings showed that family was very important to ME elders in all countries and not surprisingly, most elders preferred to be looked after by their family in their own home. It is apparent that in every country there were significant proportions of ME elders on low incomes which were substantially less than the average incomes for elderly in the country concerned. In all countries there were quite significant proportions who described their general health as poor or very poor and these elders needed more medical treatment. The use of different health and social care services is not uniform across the different ethnic groups and countries. While each country has its own systems and procedures it is apparent that in all countries there are some elders who are failing to gain access to services. There are several things an organisation can do to help ME elders to overcome barriers and gain access to services. For example, information can be provided in appropriate languages, staff can be given training in culture-specific care, or new services may be designed specifically to meet the needs of different ME groups. The report makes several recommendations including the provision of clear information about the rights of the individual in accessing and using health and social care services and in different formats and languages. Adopt a person centred approach to patients and service users. Recognise that certain ethnic groups face particularly strong access barriers. Each of the issues is described in detail for each country included in the report.