Policy and Reality
Fostering Life or Choking Life: Frictions between an Independent Life and Forced Dependency
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ivy Li
By examining the parents/grandparents (PGP) immigration program and lived experiences of sponsored parents, my study demonstrates the embedded neoliberal friction in contemporary governmentality. I argue while the state claims to facilitate self-responsibility and self-reliance, it does not nurture the agency and enhance the autonomy and independency of the governed and foster their life, instead, by eschewing its collective responsibility, it undermines their wellbeing and chokes their life. My study debunks the misconception and stigmatized portrayal of older immigrants and reveals that their contributions are ignored and exploited. My findings reveal having a mindset/desire and ability to realize independency rather than relying on children is the key for sponsored parents to age well and have a satisfactory later life in Canada. PGP program as a governmental tool cannot grant older immigrants entrepreneurism and facilitate their self-reliance, instead, adds hardship and engenders social issues such as bad intergenerational relationship, unhealthy living arrangement, poverty, physical and mental health issues, isolation, senior mistreatment and neglect, which may cost more social resources and public funds, thus a more sustainable PGP program is recommended. On the other hand, my study reveals, although facing all kinds of challenges and hardship after immigration, sponsored parents have demonstrated their resilience by developing various strategies to deal with the difficulties in daily life and have also presented their migrant agency and resistance to the forced dependency on their sponsor children individually, in small group and through active ethnic community building.
Using Family Caregivers' Social Connectedness to Design Inclusive Public Policy for Older Adults
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ning Tao, Adrián Velázquez Vázquez
The older adult population depends in great measure on informal caregivers. As the demands for caregiving increase with the multifaceted challenges of older adults’ needs, it is imperative to understand the environments and issues that caregivers face as a way to learn more about older adults and their lives at that stage. This paper explores family caregivers’ social connectedness issues to inform policymakers of their needs to assist in the design and implementation of holistic approaches to more inclusive public policy. Social connectedness is a personal and subjective perception and it can be explored in various ways. Most available social isolation indexes or indicators serve as quantitative measurements to determine social isolation, which may not comprehensively and accurately provide insightful information for the subjective concept, social connectedness. The authors of this study use a qualitative approach, with semi-structured interviews, to better capture the perspectives of family caregivers and their social connectedness from three dimensions: meaningful interactions or attachments to others, access to social networks, and proper support from friends or family members. Thus, the authors plan to recruit about 30 family caregivers using a chain-referral sampling technique. Furthermore, the authors ask participants about their policy preferences and the elements needed most to alleviate social connectedness issues. Through the examination of the social connectedness of family caregivers, who themselves face issues with social isolation, policymakers can obtain valuable information regarding the elements needed for more inclusive and holistic policies that use the experiences of family caregivers of older adults.
Australia's New Aged Care Act: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Eileen O Brien
The purpose of this research is to examine Australia's new Aged Care Act, assessing whether the legislative changes can effectively address long-standing issues within the aged care sector or if they merely perpetuate existing shortcomings under a reformed framework. The paper provides an overview of the rationale for the new legislation with a focus on the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the key recommendations for a human rights approach to aged care. The study also provides an overview of the new legislation, due to commence on 1 July 2024. Finally, the study raises concerns regarding the legislation’s prospects for success considering resistance from aged care providers, government funding issues, and – crucially - the lack of effective remedies when the Act’s provisions are compromised. Put simply, having a right is pointless without, in the event of neglect of or a contravention of that right, having a way to enforce the right, obtain a remedy and, in appropriate circumstances, impose penalties or other enforcement mechanisms. At present, the draft legislation is weak in the remedies space and vulnerable to further undermining from aged care providers, risking dilution of the final version. Unfortunately, while the legislation may appear promising, it is likely to lack effectiveness, and the same issues identified in the Royal Commission will persist.
