[Resource] Learning From The Lived Experiences of Aging Immigrants: Final Report

INTRODUCTION

This report presents the results of a series of Stakeholder Outreach Forums held over 2018-19 in four regions across Canada – Greater Montréal, Québec City, Calgary, and Greater Vancouver. The outreach forums provided an opportunity for discussion of issues faced by aging immigrants in Canada. This project was supported by a SSHRC Connections Grant. The project was led by Drs. Shari Brotman (McGill University), Sharon Koehn (Simon Fraser University), Ilyan Ferrer (University of Calgary), Émilie Raymond (Laval University), and Pam Orzeck (McGill University). Please see appendix 1 for a list of the full project team members. The forums built upon a SSHRC Insight Development Grant titled Intersecting Identities and Interlocking Oppressions, led by Drs. Shari Brotman, Sharon Koehn, and Ilyan Ferrer. This research resulted in the development of a narrative photovoice exhibit entitled The Lived Experiences of Aging Immigrants. Our outreach forums brought together stakeholders from multiple sectors to share information and strategize about the actions necessary to improve recognition and support for aging immigrants. Strategic theme areas were chosen for the forums in consultation with community partners, based on findings from the research project. The Lived Experiences of Aging Immigrants photo exhibit and short presentations by key community leaders served as a catalyst for discussions at the forums. The discussions at the forums drew on participants’ decades of knowledge and action around various forms of exclusion and precarity experienced by older immigrants. This report summarizes discussions at the forums on four key theme areas: 1) caregiving; 2) social inclusion; 3) housing; and 4) transportation. The purpose of this report is to provide insight into common problems faced by older immigrants in urban areas in Canada and to inform community action and policymaking at municipal and provincial levels of governance. I