Where to Retire? Experiences of Older African Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

Doubling in size since the 1970s, the aging needs of the African immigrant population are not fully understood. This qualitative study examined experiences of aging and retirement planning for African immigrant older adults in the United States (U.S.). Specifically, it explored the factors, processes, and ultimate decision of where these older adults planned to retire. Secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews with 15 older African immigrants in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area was conducted. Data was analyzed using thematic analyses in NVivo. The majority of participants were women, with a mean age of 64. Three overarching themes with ten sub-themes were identified. The themes included: (1) cultural identity, which indicated the participant’s comfort with the U.S. society and culture; (2) decision making, meaning factors that impact participants’ choice of retirement location; and (3) decision made, meaning the final choice of where participants would like to retire. Age-friendliness for immigrant older adults in the U.S. is complex and it includes traditional domains such as physical and sociocultural environment (e.g., housing, transportation, and income). However, immigrant age-friendliness also needs to include wider contextual aspects such as political climate of their country of origin, immigrant status, family responsibilities, and acculturation in the U.S. More research is needed to better understand and facilitate age-friendly environments and transnational aging of immigrant older adults.

Simultaneously Developing Interventions for Low-/Middle-Income and High-Income Settings: Considerations and Opportunities

“…Transnational aging is the process of organizing and coping with life that is not limited to the context of a single country (Horn & Schweppe, 2017). Some domains of transnational aging include (a) return of immigrants to their country of origin when their health begins to fail (also known as the salmon bias hypothesis; Palloni & Arias, 2004), (b) older adults residing partly in two countries or continents (Nkimbeng et al, 2022), and (c) international retirement migration, where older adults from HICs retire in other countries with a better climate, extended leisure options, lower living costs, and attractive landscapes (Horn & Schweppe, 2017). By creating interventions simultaneously within HICs and LMICs, continuity of care for persons living with dementia and their caregivers could be considerably improved.…”