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Housing and Living Arrangements of South Asian Immigrant Seniors in Edmonton, Alberta*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Cheuk Fan Ng ,
Herbert C. Northcott  and
Sharon McIrvin Abu-Laban
Cheuk Fan Ng*
Affiliation:
Centre for Psychology, Athabasca University
Herbert C. Northcott
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta
Sharon McIrvin Abu-Laban
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Cheuk Fan Ng, Ph.D., Centre for Psychology, Athabasca University, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3. (cheukn@athabascau.ca)
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Abstract

The Canadian population is aging and becoming more ethnically diverse. This paper focuses on South Asian immigrant seniors and examines differences in housing and living arrangements among seniors who immigrated at different life stages. We interviewed a convenience sample of 161 immigrant seniors of South Asian descent in Edmonton, Alberta, to assess type of living arrangement, type of housing and dwelling density (measured in persons per room), activity in the neighbourhood, and means of transportation. Overall, those seniors who came to Canada before the end of mid-life were more likely than those who came at an older age to drive a car and, if married, to live in a one- or two-generation family. Women were more likely than men to be widowed, have poorer English-language skills, or live with a three-generation family if unmarried, and less likely to drive a car. Most respondents were satisfied with their living arrangements, housing, and perceived safety at home and in their neighbourhood. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Résumé

La population canadienne vieillit et se diversifie sur le plan ethnique. La présente communication porte sur les aînés immigrants de l'Asie du Sud et examine les différences en matière de conditions de logement et de vie des aînés qui ont immigré à diverses époques de leur vie. Nous avons interviewé un échantillon de commodité de 161 immigrants aînés de descendance sud-asiatique à Edmonton, en Alberta, afin d'évaluer le type de conditions de vie, le type de logement, et le nombre de personnes qui y habitent, l'activité dans le voisinage, et les moyens de transport. Dans l'ensemble, les aînés qui étaient venus au Canada avant la fin de la quarantaine étaient plus susceptibles de conduire une auto que ceux qui étaient venus à un âge plus avancé et, s'ils étaient mariés, de vivre dans une famille d'une ou deux générations. Les femmes étaient plus susceptibles que les hommes d'avoir perdu leur conjoint, maîtrisaient moins bien la langue anglaise, vivaient dans une famille de trois générations si elles n'étaient pas mariées, et étaient moins susceptibles de conduire une auto. La plupart des répondants étaient satisfaits de leurs conditions de vie, et de leur logement, et se sentaient en sécurité à la maison et dans le voisinage. Les répercussions au plan théorique font l'objet de discussion.

Keywords

agingaging immigrantmigrant elderSouth Asian immigranthousingliving arrangementstransportationvieillissementpopulation immigrante vieillissanteaîné migrantimmigrand sud-asiatiquelogementconditions de vietransport
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , Fall/Automne 2007 , pp. 185 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2007

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Footnotes

*

We wish to thank the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration for funding this research project. We acknowledge the assistance of many individuals in the immigrant settlement field and the South Asian community – in particular, Dr. Nayanika Kumar and Dr. Gita Das of the Indo-Canadian Women's Association of Edmonton – and thank Liz White for the management of this project. We also wish to thank the Social Science Section Editor and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on earlier versions of this paper.

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