Policy focus: income security among Chinese immigrants (i) 17.3% of the older Chinese from Mainland China had an inadequate monthly income (<$500/mth) that, in turn, negatively affected all aspects of their health. (ii) Current sponsorship regulation restricts access to government pension benefits within the first ten years after their arrival in Canada. Recommendation: policies have to be instituted to help older immigrants access and/or maintain an adequate level of financial stability to protect society from the probable social and fiscal cost of physical and mental health problems that are a direct result of poverty.
Policy focus: social support and networks (i) The presence of a larger ethnic community size does not necessarily enhance individual health and wellbeing. (ii) Older immigrants from ethnically diverse populations cannot rely solely on their immediate and community social networks for support to meet their health and wellbeing needs. Recommendation: the development of formal social support networks that can attend in culturally safe ways to the needs of ethnically diverse groups is essential to the health and wellbeing of older immigrant women.
Policy focus: income security among older Chinese immigrants Recommendation: there is a need for policies that will extend income security benefits to realistically account for the nutritional and rent/mortgage supplement needs of older immigrant women.
Policy focus: abuse of older immigrants Length of residency in Canada is a significant correlate of neglect and abuse, with long-term immigrants more likely to experience greater levels of abuse and neglect. Recommendation: practice policies should evolve to extend screening for abuse and neglect among older immigrant women. There is a need for policies that will support the development of shelters for older immigrant women who may be exposed to various forms of family and even community violence.
Policy focus: income security and dental health Recommendation: there is a need for policies that will increase access to routine and emergency dental care particularly among older immigrant women.
Policy focus: income security Recommendation: there is a need for policies that strategically focus on enhancing the health of older immigrant women who are unmarried and who are living in poverty.
Policy focus: health promotion and illness prevention Recommendation: practice and resource distribution policies that target breast cancer prevention need to address culturally safe ways to recruit and treat Asian immigrant women.
Policy focus: health promotion and illness prevention Recommendation: practice and resource distribution policies that target cervical cancer screening need to address culturally safe ways to recruit and treat older immigrant women living in the lowest-income neighborhoods where service may be absent or where acculturation is likely to affect service uptake.
Policy focus: health service access and effectiveness Recommendation: enduring and productive changes to improve racialized communities’ experience with the healthcare system require the development of equitable and culturally competent systems that respect the rights of culturally diverse populations. Policies that attend to structural changes are needed to ensure that older immigrants are served in a way that prioritizes cultural safety social equity versus equality.
