Making Sense of Home Among Ethnic Minority Older Adults: Experiences of Aging in Place Among the Turkish Community in London

Abstract

The importance of home in constructing notions of identity, self, and belonging is well recognized in the aging in place literature. However, much of the research has focused on mainstream population groups, rather than on the experiences of ethnic minority communities, whose lifecourse trajectories may reveal one of transience in relation to place, aging and home. Based on 48 semi-structured individual interviews and five community mapping workshops with 65 older Turkish adults living in north London, this paper aims to provide insight into how the home is negotiated and understood by older Turkish migrants. Thematic analysis of the data revealed three interrelated themes important to the narratives of older Turkish people: “Home as a reflection of identity and self”, “Home as a social and cultural place” and “Transnationality, mobility and home”.