Aging-in-Place for Older Migrants: An Analysis of Policy Gaps and Opportunities in Two Canadian Urban Centers

Project Leads

Jordana Salma

Team Members
Kateryna Metersky, Vivian Puplampu, Oluwakemi Amodu

Cluster: Community Engaged Approaches to Promote Immigrant Health and Wellbeing

Age-friendly communities (AFCs) promote older adults’ wellbeing through community and municipal actions. Research with immigrant older adults (IOAs) across Canadian cities identifies persistent barriers to aging in place, despite IOAs representing 30% of older populations. Partnerships with diverse migrant communities highlight challenges related to settlement, healthcare access, and quality of life, while revealing unclear structural and policy factors shaping inequities at the intersection of migration and aging.

Ageism and racism intersect in immigration and age-friendly policies that continue to neglect the rights of immigrant older adults (IOAs). This project will center on an intersectional multilevel policy analysis of Age-Friendly Cities and Initiatives (AFCIs) and related federal and provincial policies using two urban centers as case studies-Edmonton (Alberta) and Toronto (Ontario).

1. How are immigrant older adults (IOAs) needs represented in municipal, provincial and federal policies?
2. How do these policies perpetuate or address inequities in AFCIs?
3. What changes need to be made across these policies to support IOAs who are aging-in-place?

This study will examine how age-friendly community initiatives (AFCIs) are implemented in Edmonton and Toronto and how policies shape immigrant older adults’ (IOAs) experiences of aging in place. Methods include a review of federal, provincial, and municipal migration, health, social welfare, and aging policies, alongside semi-structured interviews with 15–20 IOAs and 15–20 policymakers/service providers. Interviews will explore how policies are experienced, enacted, and influenced by intersecting identities. Data will be analyzed using thematic and critical discourse analysis guided by the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) Framework to identify inequities and opportunities for transformative change. Knowledge-user workshops in both cities will validate findings, deepen interpretation, and support policy recommendations.

• IREA (external link) 

This project is in the planning phase.

Aging; Immigrant Health; Urban Health; Policy; Healthcare; Community Initiatives