Background
to the
Research
- The Chinese population in
NI is around 8,000 and the population is relatively young. Respect and
care for the elderly has been a key feature of Chinese culture. Elderly
Chinese people living in NI have had little opportunity for formal education
and speak little or no English.
- This report was developed
by CWA in partnership with SEBHSST as part of a 2 year pilot project.
The report sought to identify the health related quality of life of
the Chinese elderly within the Trust.
Research
Approach
- Thirty members of the Hoi Sum Elderly Group
aged 60 and over, living in the Trust area, were interviewed using the
Easy Care Elderly Assessment System. The results of the survey were
then compared with the results from the same survey administered to
a randomly selected group of elderly currently registered with Social
Services within the indigenous local community.
Main Findings
- Eighteen of the participants were male
and 12 female. Forty-one percent of the sample were aged between 65-70
years, 33% were aged between 71-80 years and 23% were aged between 60-64.
The average age of the group was 69 years.
- Seventy per cent (21 people) of participants
rated their health as 'fair' to 'poor'. Many of this group suffer from
health problems such as diabetes, angina, kidney disease and high blood
pressure.
- The majority of respondents (20 people)
have no hearing difficulty, of the one-third who reported hearing difficulties
only 3 have hearing aids.
- Forty per cent (12 people) of respondents
reported difficulties with their eyesight, suffering from conditions
such as glaucoma, cataracts or the side effects of diabetes.
- Twenty per cent of participants (6 people)
stated having difficulty in chewing food because they wear dentures
or their dentures were ill-fitting.
- All respondents reported having no problems
with their speech and had no problems communicating with family or friends
within their community. However, all have difficulty making themselves
understood to doctors, hospital staff, in shops and in the wider community,
because they do not speak English.
- Barely 7% (2 people) of participants live
alone, nearly 57% lived with their spouse and/or immediate family. Around
27% live as one of three generations under one roof. In the majority
of cases the house is owned by the son. Ten per cent live with people
they are not related to.
- In relation to daily activities such as
housework, preparing meals and money, 80% need some help or are completely
dependent on their family to provide support. Nearly 47% need help when
taking medicine, as they are unable to read the dosage instructions.
- Just over 53% (16 people) of respondents
need assistance to manage stairs and around 43% (13 people) need help
to walk outside.
- One-fifth (6 people) of the sample reported
occasional accidents with their bladder and none were receiving help
to cope with this.
- All respondents stated that they could
keep up their personal appearance without help and 80% reported that
they could bath/shower without assistance. Of the 20% who need help
to bath/shower the question was one of mobility.
- Nearly 97% of respondents stated that
their accommodation was sufficient.
- Ninety per cent (27 people) of respondents
stated that their financial circumstances were 'good' to 'satisfactory'.
Three people reported that their circumstances were 'bad' - as they
were completely dependent on the immediate family.
- None of the respondents reported being
abused by anyone, however there may be reluctance among the elderly
to report abuse whether it comes from within the family or from the
wider community.
- None of the respondents reported ever
having been treated for a mental health problem, however, within the
Chinese community as with the wider society, mental illness carries
a high degree of stigma.
- Sixteen (53.3%) respondents reported feeling
'downhearted/sad' in the past month 'a little of the time', 8 (26.6%)
felt this way 'some of the time', 2 (6.6%) 'most of the time' and 4
(13.3%) 'none of the time'.
- Sixty per cent of respondents (18 people)
stated that they were lonely either 'sometimes' or 'often' and 40% (12
people) 'never' felt lonely.
Conclusions
- The Chinese elderly who took part in the
survey enjoy a reasonably high level of independence and fairly good
levels of health. Although a significant number suffer from physical
illnesses and problems common to the elderly in general.
- In relation to language, the elderly people
surveyed are totally dependent on others, usually family members to
interpret on their behalf, not only in accessing health and social services
but in communicating with personnel within these services.
- Few Chinese families are aware of the
range of provision, such as home helps, chilled meals, occupational
therapists, available to the elderly. Cultural expectations of sons
or daughters to look after their elders often inhibit families from
accessing such services.
- The dispersed and fragmented nature of
the Chinese community, coupled with language difficulties means that
Chinese people (and particularly the elderly) are isolated from the
wider community. As many members of the community work in the catering
industry many of their elderly relatives are left on their own for long
periods of time.
Comparing the Chinese Elderly with Local Irish
Elderly
- Chinese elderly were more likely to rate
their health as 'fair' to 'very good', no one from the local community
rated their health as 'very good' and almost twice as many rated their
health as 'poor'. The implications are that the Chinese elderly are
less likely to access services even when they know about them. They
are less likely to know about services such as home helps, chilled meals
etc.
- Fewer Chinese elderly live alone compared
with local elderly people, this may be due to the importance of looking
after the elderly in Chinese culture. It may also explain why few Chinese
elderly people claim to have mental health problems or feel sad and
lonely. It may also account for their claim that they are able to carry
out more physical tasks.
- There are no great dissimilarities between
the groups when it comes to personal grooming, satisfaction levels with
accommodation. Neither group reported suffering abuse within or outside
the home.
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