Abstract
The pandemic has exposed and amplified complex and complicated health and societal challenges while offering immense opportunities to transform societies to improve health for all. Social isolation is a challenging and persistent issue experienced by many older adults, especially among immigrant and refugee seniors. Unique risk factors such as racism, discrimination, language barriers, weak social networks, and separation from friends and family predispose immigrant and refugee seniors to a higher risk of social isolation. The pandemic has magnified the unique risks and has highlighted the differential health and economic impacts. This article examines social isolation among immigrant and refugee seniors in Canada by focusing on the policy context, available programs and services to reduce social isolation, and the conceptualization and measurement considerations for advancing research to address social isolation among this growing population. Drawing on specific examples, we discuss immigration, aging, and social isolation within the context of Canada. While our article focuses on Canada as a case study, our discussion has relevancy and implications for other high-income countries with aging immigrant and refugee populations. In moving forward, we argue that a more complete and targeted understanding of social isolation is essential to informing program and policy development to support immigrant and refugee seniors in Canada and beyond. The transformation needed in our societies to create health for all requires strong equity and determinants of health perspective and a systems approach beyond health to ensure lasting change.
Highlights
The pandemic has impacted all segments of the population and is detrimental to those with differential risks and impacts—such as seniors, women and racialized individuals/ minority populations, those with disabilities, those who live in crowded housing, or those suffering from addictions and other mental health issues
Discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity may lead to social isolation,[5,44] where rather than exposing themselves to judgmental remarks, immigrant or refugee seniors may isolate themselves from situations where they will experience discrimination.[45]
While social isolation is experienced by many seniors, further amplified through the pandemic, immigrant and refugee seniors often present with a host of unique risk factors that must be considered including language proficiency, experiences of racism and discrimination, separation from their family, fewer cultural and other social connections, and financial dependence on their children
Summary
The pandemic has impacted all segments of the population and is detrimental to those with differential risks and impacts—such as seniors, women and racialized individuals/ minority populations, those with disabilities, those who live in crowded housing, or those suffering from addictions and other mental health issues. Existing programs and services to reduce social isolation provide valuable insight into organizational capacity, innovation, and community resources while identifying significant gaps They highlight regional disparity and the need for more evidence-informed initiatives. This article examines social isolation among immigrant and refugee seniors in Canada by focusing on the policy context, programs and services for reducing social isolation, and issues of conceptualization and measurement for advancing research to address social isolation among this growing population. Identifying socially isolated older adults is one of the biggest challenges.[7] Immigrants and refugees are diverse with different countries of origin, cultures, familial customs, living arrangements, and languages. As the population ages and the proportion of immigrant and refugees increase, federal and provincial policy-makers in Canada are faced with new challenges to adequately address issues of social isolation
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