Family first – caring within UK Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities

(Press-News.org) Over the next 20 years the proportion of older people living within the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities in the UK will increase significantly. Most expect that their immediate family, particularly female family members, will provide the majority of care for them in their old age, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The research by Professor Christina Victor of Brunel University, found very few, at best five to ten per cent of the older people within these communities who were interviewed received any form of formal care, apart from health services, from the wider community or government.

The reliance of older British minority community members upon their family for care and support has much in common with the general UK population. Some believed this was a right that they had earned from looking after their children through childhood, and that it was the duty of their children to provide care, while for others it was simply seen as the natural order of family life. Indeed some were reluctant to accept care from the wider community or state, as it implied a failure of their families to accept their responsibilities.

However, unlike the general population, older men in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities played a lesser role in the direct care of dependent wives. Women, particularly daughters, daughter-in-laws and wives, were the main carers in the family. Some wives were also concerned about having their spouses cared for by other women even if they were qualified nurses or other health care professionals. The research found there were high levels of isolation among female carers.

"For all older people, regardless of ethnicity, the family is central to the achievement of the Government's key objective of enabling them to live at home for as long as possible," says Professor Victor. "Social care-based services may be more appropriate and acceptable if they focus upon helping and supporting families to care rather than being viewed as substitutes or alternatives to family care."

Some concerns were expressed by the participants that things are changing within the South Asian community and that families will be less 'willing or able to care' in the future. Examples were given by participants of an acquaintance being put into an older people's home by his son. This concern is also seen among the wider UK population where there is also the recognition that in the future families may be less able to care because of decreasing family sizes, more complex family structures, and international migration in response to the economic downturn.

"Our research is important because it emphasises the continued importance of the family in caring for dependent older people and shows the similarities between UK minority communities and the wider population", said Professor Victor. "We also highlight the problems of isolation and loneliness faced by carers which are largely ignored by service providers. Should local authorities not address the needs of carers from minority communities then we may face increased demand for long-term care".

### For further information contact:

Prof Christina Victor
Email: Christina.Victor@brunel.ac.uk
Telephone 01895 268730

ESRC Press Office: Danielle Moore-Chick
Email: danielle.moore-chick@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone 01793 413122

Jeanine Woolley
Email: jeanine.woolley@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone 01793 413119

NOTES FOR EDITORS 1. This release is based on the findings from the research project: 'Families and Caring in South Asian Communities' funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and led by Prof Christina Victor of Brunel University. 2. This project is part of the New Dynamics of Ageing Programme seven-year multidisciplinary research initiative with the ultimate aim of improving quality of life of older people. The programme is a collaboration between five UK Research Councils, led by the ESRC, and includes EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC and AHRC. 3. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of 110 Bangladeshi and Pakistani men and women aged 50 years and older to explore their understandings and experiences of care and support within their families and communities. The participants in the study lived in a city in the south east of England and had been in the UK for an average of 25 years for the men and 20 years for the women. They had moved around the UK before settling in the south east which resulted in family members living throughout the UK. Many also had family living in not only Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also in North America, Africa and Europe. 4. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's total budget for 2012/13 is £205 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes. More at www.esrc.ac.uk 5. Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the strategic partnership of the UK's seven Research Councils. We invest annually around £3 billion in research. Our focus is on excellence with impact. We nurture the highest quality research, as judged by international peer review, providing the UK with a competitive advantage. Global research requires that we sustain a diversity of funding approaches, fostering international collaborations, and providing access to the best facilities and infrastructure, and locating skilled researchers in stimulating environments. Our research achieves impact – the demonstrable contribution to society and the economy made by knowledge and skilled people. To deliver impact, researchers and businesses need to engage and collaborate with the public, business, government and charitable organisations. www.rcuk.ac.uk