But Is It Age-Friendly for Filipino-Canadian Older Adults?
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“SASKATOON IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN CANADA” BUT IS IT AGE-FRIENDLY FOR FILIPINO-CANADIAN OLDER ADULTS? A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts In the Department of Geography and Planning University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By SONIA BATAEBO ©Copyright Sonia Bataebo, May, 2021. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, copyright of the material in this thesis belongs to the author Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Geography and Planning 105 Kirk Hall, 117 Science Place University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C8 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i Abstract The increase in global migration means more immigrants with unique experiences and needs are ageing in host countries. Canada is one of the world’s countries that is known for its multiculturalism. The increase in cultural globalization and the affirmation of cultural identities, combined with the demographic composition, present a dynamic reality for Canadian cities in terms of both ethnicity and age of their residents. Urban geographers must establish development strategies that recognize the intersecting needs of these postmodern environments. Saskatoon is experiencing a major transformation. Population growth, driven by economic development and new employment opportunities, is contributing to the demographic composition of its residents. Therefore, planning for this increasing, older demographic is critical. On the political and policy front, interest has increased in making communities more “age- friendly,” an ongoing trend since the World Health Organization launched its global Age-Friendly Cities project. Qualitative research was conducted in Saskatoon within the Filipino-Canadian older adult community, to determine if Saskatoon is indeed an age-friendly community from their perspectives and to identify suggestions to enhance culturally pluralistic age-friendly initiatives in Saskatoon. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from Fifteen (15) Filipino- Canadian older adults aged 55 and older. The highlighted features of an age-friendly community based on the expressions of Saskatoon’s Filipino-Canadian older adults included: Affordable housing (providing low-income housing ii options for older adults and families with filial piety culture), accessible and affordable health care (admission of more Tagalog speaking nurses/ Tagalog language health services), a safe and secure neighbourhood, and accessible and affordable transportation. Following through examination of Saskatoon’s Filipino-Canadian community, this research highlights the value of cultural and linguistic inclusivity in age-friendly related services as well as the advantages of age-related institutions supporting and cooperating to establish an inclusive environment for Filipino- Canadian older adults within the Saskatoon community. This study not only informs the manner whereby age-friendly communities are conceptualized, but also aims to put the needs of Saskatoon’s Filipino-Canadian demographic at the forefront of urban planning practice and implementation. iii Acknowledgements To God be the Glory Forever (Romans 11:36) Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Dr. Ryan Walker, for the continuous support of my master’s study and research, for his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this thesis. I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my master’s study. I would also like to thank my thesis committee members: Dr. Corinne Schuster-Wallace and Dr. Cherie Westbrook, for their encouragement, insightful comments, and challenging questions. I thank St. Anne Catholic church, Our lady of Lourdes Parish and the FILCAS Facebook community for their participation in this study. Finally, I thank my family, my parents Cecilia Kakariba and John Bataebo, for their support with love and encouragement throughout my life. My sincere thanks go to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for the financial assistance that has made this work possible through their Insight Grant Program. Further thanks go to the University of Saskatchewan Department of Geography and Planning; the funding provided was fundamental to the sustenance and success of this work. iv Dedication For Cecilia and John v Table of Contents Permission to Use ................................................................................................................................................ i Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ........................................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents................................................................................................................................................. vi INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 INFORMING A FOCUS ON SASKATOON’S FILIPINO OLDER ADULT COMMUNITY ............................................. 1 1.2 RESEARCH PURPOSE, OBJECTIVES AND CENTRAL ARGUMENT ......................................................................... 3 1.3 THESIS OUTLINE .................................................................................................................................................. 5 LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................................................................7 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 URBANIZATION ................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 POPULATION AGEING .......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 IMPLICATIONS OF POPULATION AGEING AND URBANISATION .......................................................................... 9 2.5 AGING IN CONTEMPORARY CANADA ............................................................................................................... 12 2.5.1 Provincial policy frameworks for ageing in Canada .............................................................................. 13 2.6 INFORMING A NEED FOR CULTURAL PLURALISM IN AGE-FRIENDLY DEVELOPMENT .................................... 14 2.6.1 Canada’s diverse older population .......................................................................................................... 15 2.7 AGE-FRIENDLY CITIES MOVEMENT .................................................................................................................. 16 2.7.1 Age-friendly community concept in Canada .......................................................................................... 17 2.8 RESEARCH GAP ................................................................................................................................................. 19 RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................................................................................... 21 3.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................. 21 3.1.1 Ontology ................................................................................................................................................... 21 3.1.2 Axiology ................................................................................................................................................... 22 3.1.3 Epistemology ...........................................................................................................................................