Intercultural Study of Older Chinese Immigrants’ Social Connection and Active Ageing in Australia

Abstract

This study aims to explore the challenges the older Chinese immigrants (aged 55 and older) are facing in Australia, while identifying good practices that some have been utilising in maintaining an active lifestyle, after moving to Australia. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was applied in this study. Focus group, interview and storytelling were adopted for in-depth conversations and subsequent analysis. The research team worked closely with three Chinese associations (one in Western Australia and two in Australia Capital Territory), for the primary study. The study helped to identify the benefits of the creative practice in the older Chinese immigrants’ active ageing in a multicultural environment. It also provided the opportunity to understand the changes the senior immigrants have made, after joining the regular group activities, including their communication habits, their access to local information and their fashion needs and consumption.

Keywords:

• older Chinese immigrants
• active ageing
• social connection
• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
• Australia

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fanke Peng

Fanke Peng is a discipline lead and assistant professor at the University of Canberra. She is the founder of the Cross-Cultural Design Lab. Her research focus is on design and health, creativity and dementia, digital fashion, and service design for sustainability and social impact. She has worked on a range of interdisciplinary projects, supported by funding from Australian Council for the Arts, UK research councils (AHRC, ESRC, EPSRC, TSB), the Museum of Australian Democracy, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Fund. Recent publications include Cross Cultural Design for Healthy Ageing (co-edited book 2020), “Service Design Thinking for Social Good” (co-authored journal article 2020) and Cross-Cultural Design (co-authored book 2017).

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Na Zhao*

Na Zhao* (corresponding author) is a senior lecturer at the South China Agriculture University. Her most recent publications are a journal article entitled “Visual Rhetoric of Luxury Brands in Cross-cultural Communication” and a journal article entitled “Research on the Digital Integration Mechanism of the Elderly in the New Media Age.”

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