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Ageing in an inconvenient paradise: The immigrant experiences of older K orean people in N ew Z ealand
Author(s) -
Park HongJae,
Kim Chang Gi
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2012.00642.x
Subject(s) - immigration , context (archaeology) , older people , social isolation , sociology , qualitative research , gerontology , gender studies , psychology , medicine , geography , social science , archaeology , psychotherapist
Aim The purpose of this paper is to explore the immigrant experiences of older K orean people and their intergenerational family relationships in the N ew Z ealand context. Methods Data were collected from qualitative interviews with older people, community leaders and professionals in C hristchurch and A uckland. Data analysis was conducted using concept mapping techniques in the cross‐cultural context where two languages were simultaneously used. Results The findings of the study show that older K orean people in N ew Z ealand were likely to face multiple challenges due to the combined effects of immigration and ageing in a new country. Some older people experienced difficulties in managing their immigrant lives and intergenerational relationships in the transnational family context in which their family members were dispersed across two or more nations. Conclusion The immigrant experiences of older migrants might be affected by an ‘invisible’ source of isolation and exclusion at familial, community, societal and transnational levels.