A Study on the Settlement Related Needs of Newly Arrived Immigrant Seniors in Ontario

From SettlementAtWork

Link:	http://atwork.settlement.org/downloads/Settlement_Needs_Immigrant_Seniors.pdf
By:	Lynn McDonald, Usha George, Joanne Daciuk, Miu Chung Yan, Hermione Rowan
Org:	Centre for Applied Social Research, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Date:	2001

A study examining the needs of newly arrived immigrant seniors to Ontario. The purpose of this study was to identify the following:

• existing resources and services available to newly arrived seniors to resolve issues related to their initial stages of settlement;
• special difficulties encountered by newcomer seniors in the settlement process that are different from other immigrant age groups;
• how and where newcomer seniors assist themselves in accessing support and information to deal with their settlement needs; and
• any gaps in information and services, newcomer seniors identify that would better assist them in their initial settlement processes.

The authors recommendations concern four major areas: 1. Information, 2. Social and Community Services, 3. Coordination and Referral Services, and 4. Outreach. These recommendations are within the framework of existing settlement programming.

A sampling of recommendations:

• At the time of application for sponsorship, family members should be encouraged to access appropriate and relevant information on services available to seniors in Canada and their communities.
• Information should be available in different languages at different access points, such as doctors’ offices, ethnic food stores and settlement and community agencies serving this older newcomer population.
• All service providers responsible for delivering services to seniors should be alerted to the possibility of elder abuse and should be trained to identify abusive situations and make referrals to the appropriate agencies.
• Coordination of services should be improved. Given the large number of existing services available to seniors, the importance of coordination of services cannot be over emphasized.
• Outreach is a fundamental requirement in assisting newcomer seniors to access information and services. Service provides should explore innovative methods to reach out to this largely invisible and difficult-to-reach population. Places of worship, ethnic cultural associations, ethnic shopping areas, ethnic media and health care providers’ offices are possible outreach venues.

Format

The report is available for download in Adobe Acrobat format [502K].

Language: English