LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF CANADA’S ELDERLY IMMIGRANTS

The Canadian population is aging, which has long-term implications for economic growth and the demand for housing, health care, and other services. Elderly immigrants are a growing segment of Canada’s aging population. Canada’s aging population has also become more diverse because of immigration from Asia and other non-traditional (that is, non-European or North American) sources in recent decades. This research focuses on living arrangements of elderly immigrants in Canada. Studying the living arrangements of elderly immigrants is important as these affect levels of social support, dependence on welfare programs, health status, social isolation, general well-being, and other issues. We examine data from the 2006 Canadian census with three purposes. First, we present a portrait of living arrangements of elderly immigrants. Secondly, we examine the relationship of selected sociodemographic characteristics such as age at immigration, period of immigration, region of origin, gender, marital status, education, and home language with type of living arrangements. And finally, we discuss social and policy implications of living arrangements of elderly immigrants, including issues related to inter-generational relations, social and economic support, social integration, and wellbeing of elderly immigrants.