RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF ETHNICITY FOR CANADA'S ELDERLYAuthor(s): A. JOHN LEESource: Canadian Journal of Public Health / Revue Canadienne de Sante'e Publique, Vol. 78, No.1 (January/February 1987), p. 6Published by: Canadian Public Health AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41989300 .

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SHORT REFORT

RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF ETHNICITY FOR CANADA'S ELDERLY

A. JOHN LEE, D.D.S., M.P.H.*

Multiculturalism is explicit Canadian public policy; the cultural mosaic of Canada is made up of many ethnic groups, and we acknowledge the value of ethnic group membership for everybody. Thus we must consider ethnicity in relation to the needs of the elderly. We are all aware of the growing number of senior citizens in Canada, but are we aware of the proportions of elderly who belong to each ethnic group? For example, in Metropolitan Toronto in 1981, 56% of the elderly are foreign born. Among those now middle-aged (45-64) who will be elderly in 2000, 53% are foreign born.1 It is imperative that our consideration of health and social services and research on the needs of the elderly in Canada extend beyond the mainstream white, middle class.

Changing values, changing language capabilities, and changing cultures exacerbate the already complex issue of aging. As this research progresses, it will be important to analyse intra-cohort and inter-cohort differences in ethnic composition and family support systems. For those within the same cohort, ethnicity as it relates to age at immigration, the reasons for immigration, and class differentials ("ethclass" as Morgan2 put it) represent important areas of study that are germane to service provision. Equally important concerns arise in relation to the acculturation of successive generations. For example, Sugiman and Nishio3 in their study of Nisei (second-generation) Japanese Canadians found that the Nisei's attitudes towards aging were generally similar to Anglo-Canadians' with a preference for independence and living alone. On the other hand, in the Greek community, it is expected that the dependent elderly will remain with a second-generation family member.4 The relationships between generations, the attitudes and behaviour resulting from such linkages, all represent important, indeed necessary, foci for analysis in order to develop appropriate models of service.

On an individual level, factors which suppress or enhance ethnicity, such as sensory deprivation, medication and nutritional deficits, certainly require analysis. Likewise, the impact of ethnicity upon the perception of aging in general and more specifically, its impact upon health attitudes and behaviour must be addressed. The interplay of ethnicity and

♦Dental Advisor, Community Preventive Health Section, City of Toronto, Department of Public Health, City Hall, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2.

gender relative to all of the above issues deserves attention. Finally, our attention must focus on all ethnic elderly including the various white ethnic groups so important in the cultural mosaic of Canada.

From research develop policy and services. Indeed, specific policy is often lacking due to a paucity of data. As research progresses, the importance of both informal and formal support systems will be recognized. Likewise, the importance of cultural harmony, of cultural continuity to the aging ethnic will also be underlined. For example, Dominick and Statsky found that life for most aged in institutions tends to be monotonous and lonely. Yet those who were strongly bound by ethnic and cultural ties did not feel isolated and abandoned.5 Recognition of this would result in a social policy that synthesizes these ideas. Often this could be achieved when the service provider comes from the same ethnic background as the client or user of the service. Likewise, institutions could make concerted efforts to utilize the intracommunity approach. This model relies on key individuals in the community to serve as important links between the ethnic elderly's informal and formal support systems. The important outreach component is emphasized, resulting in increased awareness and more appropriate utilization of existing services. This approach also necessarily leads to the recognition of gaps and the advocacy component aimed at removing these gaps in an ethnically sensitive fashion.

Given the stated social policy of Canada as being a cultural mosaic, it is difficult to imagine not incorporating the most rapidly growing population group, the elderly, into this framework. Consistency demands that attention must be given to the importance of ethnicity for policy and program development for elderly Canadians.

REFERENCES 1 . Ethnocultural Data Office, Multicultural Program, Ontario Ministry of

Citizenship and Culture, personal correspondence. 2. Gordon MM. Assimilation in American Life. New York: Oxford

University Press, 1964. 3. Sugiman P, Nishio HK. Socialization and Cultural Duality Among

Aging Japanese Canadians, Canadian Ethnic Studies 1983; XV: 3: 17. 4. Health Is a Cultural Affair. City of Toronto, Department of Public

Health, Toronto, 1985. 5. Dominick JR, Stotsky BA. Mental Patients in Nursing Homes. IV.

Ethnic Influences. J Amer Geront Soc 1969; 17: 1: 63. Received: August 12, 1985 Accepted: April 21, 1986

6 Canadian Journal of Public Health Vol. 78, January/ February 1987

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