The document discusses a study on the perceptions of mental well-being in aging South Asian populations in the UK. It finds that respondents faced difficulties settling in due to lack of jobs and racism. They had traditional expectations of living with and being cared for by adult children, but most now live separately, causing distress and depression. Changes in family values have also impacted their cultural identity and mental health.

1. Unrecognised aspect of
Mental well being within
Ageing population of South
Asian origin in UK
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IFA 11th
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Global Conference on Ageing
30th May 2012 - Hansa Jethwa

2. Introduction
Ageing is considered to be an important aspect in today’s world
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Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups in UK is 7.9% of total
population.
The BME population of over 60 is mere 360,000 (2001 Census) and
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over half of this population is composed of South Asians (SA) and
within this Indian Community have the highest percentage of those
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over 60 years compared to all other minorities. (2001 Census survey)
The SA group is comparatively a much younger, however, they have
considerable health and social care needs and these occur in a
comparatively younger group of older people than white older
people. H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

3. Introduction –Cont.
• Most SA arrived to UK in 50s and 60s as very young skilled workers
0011or as ‘refugees’ from previous British colonies
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• On the whole, over the last five decades or so, the SA communities
are fairly settled in UK and despite overt and covert racism and
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acculturation stress, they are overall reported to be better adjusted
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• Having worked and brought up their families in UK, this first
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generation is reaching old age.
• The research shares the outcome of a small scale study on the
perceptions and expectations of this group of ageing in UK.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

4. Target Group
• People of South Asian origin, of age 50 and above,
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who had migrated to the UK as a young adult and
had lived experience of minimum 30yrs in the UK,
and had brought children up in UK.
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• The information presented today is gathered through
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conducting in- depth individual interviews of people
attending Day care and those living in residential as
well as warden assisted homes(16: 8males+8 females).
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

5. Research Questions
• Initial experience/difficulties faced in settling
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in UK and in raising their children
• Expectations/obligations of/from children
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• Their understandings of family and perceptions
of changes.
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• Their own understanding of the impact on
their mental and physical health, on the
process of ageing and
• Their expectations of future.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

6. Initial experience/difficulties faced
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Difficulties cited were in relation to jobs,
housing, problems starting afresh in a new
environment, not knowing the system, putting
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up with abusive situations particularly in relation
to ‘curry smell’ and building up relationship with
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the host community.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012 4

7. “Coming here with qualifications but having difficulties to get
the right job”…. “working long hours” and “waiting for a
bus when it is very cold and dark” in a very alien
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environment ..
“no one spoke to me” and “I did not understand what they
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were saying or shouting about”
Living in “very cramped conditions and poor houses”
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“Tremendous pressures on learning English Language”
“Getting the right kind of food in those days”
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

8. • Research indicates that moving house is one of
the most stressful event in ones’ life. All of the
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people interviewed had moved the country and
some in very traumatic circumstances.
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• The further impact of stress has been in making
a home in an environment which has been alien
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(in terms of culture and climate) and hostile (in
terms of racism faced at all levels).
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

9. Expectations from adult children
• All respondents had traditional images of
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families as one of a cohesive, extended
family, all living ‘under one roof’ which
included elderly parents.
• All respondents felt that having fulfilled their1
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duty as parents, it was the duty of their adult
children to support them and take over
general running the household.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012 4

10. • 75% (12) of those interviewed did not have
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• Of these 83% (10) had not come to terms with
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not co residing with their adult children.
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• All expected more support from their children,
especially their sons rather than their daughters.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

11. “Traditionally we expect the boys to look after the family home and
take care of the parents as they become weak and unable to look
0011 0010 1010 1101 0001 0100 1011my son to look after me and his
after themselves”. “Expected
mother”
“If I need looking after, I feel that it is best that this looking after is
by my own son and his family as that is where I would get the best
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help”
“They (children) are focussed and only busy in their own lives, and do
not care”
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“I thought it would be a liberating experience once I have brought up
children instead life has turned to be a very lonely experience; feel
like jailed in with no prospects other than deteriorating health and
worry as to who would look after me”
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

12. • All respondents expressed some degree of shame
and disillusion when their adult children chose to
live separately in a nuclear household and felt sad
that they could not look to their children for
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support..
“my son and his children do not live with me …I try and
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forget everything …and not talk about this…children do not
understand this”
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“…..(Crying), loneliness is the biggest problem”
“when I come here (day centre), it passes my day but nights
are difficult sometimes”.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

13. • All respondents seem to have few outlets to express this
distress.
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• Out of 75% who lived separately from their children,
83% were not happy with their life style.
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• Life satisfaction is a good indicator of the mental health
status and a popular measure of subjective well being
(Zang & YU 1998)
• However, discussions of distress was seen as
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stigmatising and with the fear of being seen as inferior
and there was a degree of denial of distress
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

14. Perceptions of changes
• All respondents identified changes in cultural
values and traditions particularly
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- eating habits
- beliefs around divorce and marriages
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- more emphasis on individualist thinking
instead of thinking of wider family as unit
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- respect for elders and
- lack of regard for family honour.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

15. “Food was a big problem – my daughter in law
preferred pasta and pizza everyday and not roti and
shak”
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“Independence is cultivated here in this country .. and as
a result encourages children to live together with each
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other without marriage … and this is not considered
shameful ! – morality is diminishing in our culture”
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“living in a nuclear family is encouraged here and older
people are not seen as part of family or relevant”
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

16. • All felt upbringing here (UK) and
western education has contributed to
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this shift in values.
“they are encouraged to speak their mind from Infant
Schools onwards”
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“why.. why...why… this is all you seem to hear.. We
never dared to asked that of our parents”
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“We have lost our children here.. and they have lost
the ability to think of wider family as a unit”
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

17. • The 15% (2) who seemed to have come to terms with
living separately from their children looked at the wider
perspectives
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“Children do understand their duty towards their parents but
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circumstances (meaning jobs) lead them away from home.”
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“We need to be realistic in our expectations; they have pressures
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of standing up to their white counterparts and we cannot hold
them back by giving extra responsibilities that their white
counterparts do not have.”
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

18. • Two respondents, who were living in residential
or sheltered home exhibited a renewed sense of
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identity and felt that they now had a place where
they were able to live out their lives on their
own terms.
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“Before I came here I was moving from one son’s home to the
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other and looking after the grand children and expected to do all
the housework. Here I have my own time to worship and go for
‘satsang’ when I like and not living under the obligations of my
son or his family.”
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

19. Impact on mental health
• The concepts of isolation and
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shame exhibited a level of
depression
• Mental health in particular 1
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depression was not clearly
acknowledged.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

20. I worked very hard, leaving Uganda and starting all
over again here, looking after my in-laws and raising
the children, giving them all they wanted. I am not
sure that they (children) even understand… It was a
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time when we were called names, told we smelt of
curry…Our children can never do what we did for our
parents….”
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“Coming here (day centre) passes my time meet other
people and have some satsang…. At home I will be
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sitting alone starring the wall”
“I tell my wife to keep busy and not think too much
about children… this is the reason why we come here
and I have become a volunteer here.”
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

21. The expectations of future
• Most of the respondents yearned to live together
0011 0010 1010their children and be in a position to receive
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support, love and respect from their children and
not to be isolated.
• All the respondents were very pessimistic about the
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future and feared that the social networks were
breaking down irretrievably.
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• “We have gained economically but have lost in terms of our
selves and no one seem to care.”
• Isolation, loneliness, poor mental and physical
health were the biggest fear.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

22. One thing that you would ideally want as you grow older
• “Want my children to live together with me” (2)
• “To get love and respect from the children” (2)
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• “To die in my own home with my children around me”
• “Would like people around me when I die”
• “To not have to live in a home for old people”
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• “If I need help I would rather this was given by my own children
instead of being cared for by strangers”
• “Not be isolated” 1
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• “To be with someone to share your pains and pleasures”
• “To be independent”
• “To be physically fit and not have to rely on anyone else”
• “No expectations” (2)
• “Live life happily and not feel ashamed”.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012

23. To summarise
Emerging themes
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• Realities of living alone and coming to terms
with the concept of living away from the adult
children
• Loss of ‘culture’/reference point
• Depression 1
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• Deep Stigma of living alone (real & perceived)
• Impact on status, ostracism and the shame felt
as a result of not co residing with children or
being cared for by their sons.
H.Jethwa (c) Prague 2012