Overlooking and (dis)trust in the everyday encounters of older immigrants

Session conveners:
Eveliina Lyytinen, chair, Migration Institute of Finland (eveliina.lyytinen@migrationinstitute.fi)
Eva Rönkkö, co-chair, Eläkeläiset ry (eva.ronkko@elakelaiset.fi)
Susanna Lehtovaara, discussant, Jade yhteisö ry (susanna.lehtovaara@jadeyhteiso.fi)

Session description

The number of older persons with an immigrant background is rising in society, yet they remain overlooked in the society, especially in the field of older people’s care and within the service system. Older immigrants may also be neglected in research projects that often target working age populations. Despite growing research evidence, the aging population in Finland is viewed as homogeneous, and there is insufficient awareness of the everyday life, living conditions, backgrounds and needs of older persons with foreign backgrounds. There is a lack of progress in making services more equitable and in enhancing the diversity expertise of professionals. Older immigrants live on the margins of society and may be in a vulnerable position due to various intersecting and cumulative factors. Yet, they may also have particular strengths and valuable roles in their communities.

In this workshop, we investigate how ageing, migration, and belonging are intertwined from a trust perspective. We examine how older persons with immigration background may experience issues of social and institutional (dis)trust in their everyday encounters with other people, communities, organizations, and the authorities. We welcome presentations that discuss, for instance, older immigrants’ sense of belonging, access to rights and services, everyday (in)securities, and trust-building or trust-losing processes. Presentations reflecting how to build trust when conducting research ethically with older immigrants, particularly in collaboration with NGOs or from co-research perspectives, are also encouraged. We have a discussant who is working for an NGO focused on older immigrants’ well-being providing a joint commentary after all presentations.

Presentations can be held in Finnish and/or in English, and they can include artistic, activist or civil society perspectives, also by older persons with immigrant background.