COVID-19 and “ageing well” for the older migrants and refugees in rural Australia: the case of Bhutanese elders in Albury, New South Wales

COVID-19 and “ageing well” for the older migrants and refugees in rural Australia: the case of Bhutanese elders in Albury, New South Wales Nichole Georgeou, Spyros Schismenos, Nidhi Wali, Karin Mackay, Elfa Moraitakis Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- The purpose of this study is to highlight the challenges and opportunities for the well-being of older migrants and refugees in rural Australia by learning from the example of the Bhutanese community in Albury, New South Wales. This viewpoint focusses on health and aged care barriers that affect the well-being of older migrants and refugees in Australia. It also demonstrates how these can be intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Engagement though agriculture, and a sense of “belonging” strengthen the cultural well-being of the Bhutanese older adults in Albury. However, major issues remain as health-related resources and information are lacking in rural Australia. How this group’s meaningful activities in Albury enabled collaborations to be built is shown in this working example and can provide lessons for other communities that experience similar problems of disconnection as they get older. The information regarding the Bhutanese older adults in Albury is primarily based on the authors’ personal communication with the General Secretary of the Bhutanese Australian Community Support Group in Albury Wodonga Inc. Australia...
Source: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: research