The lived experience of Haitian older adults' integration into a senior center in southeast Florida.
A phenomenological design using interviews of 16 Haitian older adults was undertaken to better understand the lived experience of older Haitians as they integrated into an established senior center. Responses to the questions were recorded and transcribed. Two themes emerged: (a) a feeling of being accepted into a new community and (b) hope for a good life in their new homeland. Although older adults who are recent immigrants have a harder time assimilating into a new culture than younger persons, programs can be developed to make this transition easier.
McCaffrey
Ruth
R
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA. rmccaffr@fau.edu
D000069:Acculturation; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002410:Catholicism / Q000523:psychology; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006205:Haiti / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D012945:Social Values; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires