Quality of life among elderly Chinese immigrants in Australia

This study addresses quality of life as a subjective and individualized concept which is not adequately captured by those quantitative methods that dominate gerontological research. It focuses on an under- researched sub-group of older people and the ways in which quality of life is related to social and cultural variations in family care. Four older Chinese women and one older couple were recruited to participate in in-depth life history interviews. The interviews were conducted in Cantonese, recorded, translated and transcribed in full. The data were analysed in two ways. Content analysis yielded four main themes: dependence, social isolation, grandparenthood and filial piety. Narrative analysis of the women's interviews produced five distinct storylines about the gendered nature of growing old as a member of a Chinese immigrant family. The findings of this small study are discussed in relation both to the way they can enhance gerontological understandings of quality of later life and to their implications for community aged care policy and nursing practice.