It is part of your life until you die: older refugees in Australia

Abstract

Objective: To explore perceptions of the issues facing older refugees, from the perspective of older refugees themselves and from workers in their communities who assist them. Method: A qualitative approach, consisting of five focus groups with older refugees, and 10 interviews and one focus group with community workers. Results: The impact of being a refugee can be seen in the effects of trauma and of forced migration on the experience of growing old. Conclusion: Older refugees have a sense of ‘ageing in the wrong place’, to which policy and practice need to respond.