Hande, Mary Jean
Imagining the Possibilities of Care in Old Age: Perspectives of Older Filipino Care Workers
Filipino immigrant care workers play a critical role in Canada's eldercare systems. Yet, little is known about their aging experiences and eldercare desires. This thesis draws on a qualitative study that employed a life history narrative approach (Brotman et al., 2020) to conduct five in-depth, semi-structured interviews with older Filipino immigrants (ages 59-80) employed in Canada's community-based and residential senior care settings. The purpose of this study was to understand how the transitions and trajectories in their respective life courses influence their own eldercare desires in old age. Ferrer and colleague's (2017) intersectional life course perspective was used to contextualize each participant's lived experiences, revealing how social, economic and cultural processes throughout the life course influence how they dream of care. Analysis revealed that older Filipino immigrant care workers dream of ideal eldercare in three ways: (1) aging across place; (2) through their networks of care; and (3) aging elsewhere.
Author Keywords: Aging, Care, Filipino immigrant care workers, Intersectional life course, Life history narrative