27 June 2011

Australian migrants to discuss their ageing experiences

As the divisive topic of immigration in Australia heats up, Australia’s largest seniors group is attempting to find out how the immigrant population has coped with ageing in Australia.

More than 160 people will attend the National Seniors Australia forum to be held tomorrow from 9am to 1pm at Melbourne Town Hall, Supper Room.

Researchers will discuss how culturally and linguistically diverse older adults have coped with ageing in Australia including cultural factors, migration experiences, differences in health and living arrangements, English support and more.

A panel of speakers representing migrants from various backgrounds including Africa, Middle East, Asia and Europe will debate the topic: Ageing in a multicultural society: the good, the bad and the ugly.

At the forum, National Seniors Australia will also launch its latest Productive Ageing Centre (PAC) report entitled The Ageing Experience of Australians from Migrant Backgrounds.

One in five Australians aged 50 and over were born in a non-English speaking country.

National Seniors Australia general manager of research, and organiser of the event, Peter Matwijiw, said the forum and new report was breaking new ground into a topic rarely spoken about.

“The ageing of migrants is a topic that hasn’t been explored and researched enough in Australia,’’ he said.

“Considering we are a very multicultural country, we think it’s important to look at how older Australians from various backgrounds have experienced life in Australia and now what they are going through in the ageing process.

“We will also be releasing findings of our latest ageing report which paints a picture of who our older Australian migrant population are, where they have come from and what we can learn as a society from all of this.”

The public will also get to take part in a Q & A session.

---

With a quarter of a million members Australia-wide, National Seniors is the consumer lobby for the over 50s. It is the fourth largest organisation of its type in the world