Moving backwards, moving forward: the experiences of older Filipino migrants adjusting to life in New Zealand

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the experiences of older Filipino migrants adjusting to living permanently in New Zealand.Method: The qualitative descriptive approach taken in this study involved 17 individual face-to-face interviews of older Filipino migrants in New Zealand.Results: Three main themes emerged from the data. The first theme was “moving backwards and moving forward”, which described how these older Filipino migrants adjusted to challenges they experienced with migration. The second theme was “engaging with health services” and presented challenges relating to the New Zealand healthcare system, including a lack of knowledge of the nature of health services, language barriers, and differences in cultural views. The third theme, “new-found home”, highlighted establishing a Filipino identity in New Zealand and adjusting to the challenges of relocation.Conclusion: Adjustment to life in New Zealand for these older Filipino migrants meant starting over again by building new values through learning the basics and then moving forward from there.

Challenges and adjustments in maintaining health and well‐being of older Asian immigrants in New Zealand: An integrative review

“…Most of the studies utilised qualitative methodologies (n = 18). Three studies used descriptive approaches, four used a narrative approach, two utilised phenomenology, one study drew on Simmel's approach of incidental events, and two studies developed a grounded/substantive theory . The other eight qualitative studies did not specify which exact qualitative methodology was used .…”

“…The single mixed‐methods study utilised a community‐based survey, and there were no intervention studies. Older Asian immigrants were the sole focus of 13 studies, and older Chinese immigrants were the most frequently studied (see Table ). Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, was the main region in which studies took place (see Table ).…”

“…Furthermore, older Chinese immigrants expressed gratitude for their children's acts of kindness and love towards them, such as helping them with English language translation . Moreover, some older Filipino and Chinese immigrants felt that, together with their adult children, their standards of living had improved in New Zealand, and they had opportunities to learn new skills …”

“…Older Chinese, Filipino and Korean immigrants reported facing many unfamiliarities when they first arrived in New Zealand and found relocating a challenging prospect . Social activity and community engagement differences, between their countries of origin and New Zealand, meant that activities such as shopping, dining and transportation often proved very difficult . Furthermore, as older persons and immigrants, they were often confronted by the prospect of facing these unfamiliarities alone, as their children were busy working …”

“…Our review identified that they lacked sufficient knowledge about services and how to access them . Also, some parts of the New Zealand health‐care system, such as the role of general practitioners vs attending emergency departments, and hospital visiting rules, confused them . Moreover, interacting with medical staff was challenging, especially when an older immigrant's English language abilities were limited .…”