Promoting mental health of immigrant seniors in community

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore if and how community organizations providing services to late-in-life Punjabi immigrants in British Columbia, Canada, offer services with the potential to promote their mental health or well-being. The authors also wanted to know how Punjabi seniors perceived available services and if they supported their mental well-being. Design/methodology/approach – To guide the research, the authors used the VicHealth Framework, which identifies three overarching social and economic determinants of mental health: social inclusion (SI), freedom from violence and discrimination, and access to economic resources and participation. This mixed methods study combines descriptive survey and qualitative focus group data with input from Punjabi seniors and community service providers. Findings – All three mental health determinants were identified as important by service providers and seniors, with SI as the most important. Family dynamics (shaped by migration and sponsorship status) influence all three determinants and can promote or diminish mental well-being. Research limitations/implications – The pilot study is limited in sample size and scope and further inquiry with different groups of immigrant older adults is warranted. Practical implications – Service providers assert that more outreach and sustainable funding are needed to reach the majority of potential beneficiaries unable to participate in community programmes. Information on mental well-being of seniors should be targeted at both seniors and their families. Originality/value – The VicHealth Framework provided a unique lens through which to explore the contributions of community organizations to mental health promotion for immigrant older adults.

Community-Based Healthcare for Migrants and Refugees: A Scoping Literature Review of Best Practices

“…Single interventions described for community-based mental health services pertained to the training of (future) healthcare workers and cultural brokering [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , …”

“…In terms of “cultural brokering” [ 12 ], community peers [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], bilingual gatekeepers [ 22 ], and ethnic matching of therapists and patients [ 13 , 24 ] were identified. Complex interventions constitute school-based programs to screen (and sometimes, also to treat) children and adolescents from migrant and refugee communities for mental health problems [ 16 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], mental health promotion in community day centers [ 30 , 31 ], and by community organizations [ 32 , 33 ] and various other community-based mental health services [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Screening tools for psychosocial risk assessments were also used [ 20 , 42 , 43 ].…”

“…Core elements of the identified interventions and models were: partnering with members from target communities [ 44 , 45 ]; community mobilization to stimulate outreach [ 33 , 46 , 47 ]; culturally and linguistically sensitive approaches [ 14 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]; education of health service providers on the needs of the target population [ 13 , 40 , 54 ]; awareness raising on mental health [ 46 , 55 ]; availability of information in relevant languages [ 44 ]; advocacy [ 56 , 57 ]; facilitating better integration [ 52 ]; responsiveness, coordination, and planning of different health and social services [ 12 , 54 , 55 , 58 , 59 ]; establishing a sense of belonging, community, and trust [ 18 , 58 , 59 ]; promoting empowerment and cultural competency [ 19 , 61 , 62 ]; funding [ 58 ]; and community-based participatory research [ 47 ].…”

Belonging and Mental Wellbeing Among a Rural Indian-Canadian Diaspora: Navigating Tensions in “Finding a Space of Our Own”

“…Thus, it is important to explore immigrants' attitudes and perceptions of services, and also, to assess to what extent service providers are adopting their programs and services to meet the needs of immigrant populations. Koehn et al (2014) explored such issues among a Punjabi senior population in Abbotsford and Surrey, British Columbia. Using the VicHealth Framework to explore domains of mental health determinants, namely, social inclusion, freedom from violence and discrimination, and access to economic resources and participation.…”

S4AC Case Study: Enhancing Underserved Seniors’ Access to Health Promotion Programs

“…Two focus groups with South Asian participants were held in Punjabi: one at Site A (seven women and four men), and another at Site B (seven women) (see Table 1). We did not invite the minority of male participants at Site B to the focus group based on our previous experience with Punjabis from more traditional and rural backgrounds wherein we found that the voices of women were silenced in mixed gender groups (Benisovich & King, 2003; Koehn, Jarvis, Sandhra, Bains, & Addison, 2014). However, based on our observations of their interactions with one another, we felt we did not need to segregate the relatively well-educated and acculturated South Asian seniors at Site A.…”