The Philippines is the largest source of migrants to Canada, and Filipinos are the fourth largest racialized minority group in this country. Yet little is known about the needs and experiences of the elderly members of this community.

The Filipino Elderly Wellbeing Project is a new university-community research   collaboration that aims to address this gap. According to Roland Sintos Coloma, a University of Toronto professor and the project’s principal investigator, there is no comprehensive research study on Filipino elderlies in Canada. He says, “It is difficult to address policy, funding, medical and social services, and family issues without data. Our research will be thorough and inclusive, so that our findings can have a positive impact on the lives of our elderlies.”
 
Linda Javier, the president of Filipino Centre Toronto and the project’s community partner, has been a Toronto resident for over 40 years and has seen the demographic changes over time. She says, “We have Filipinos who immigrated to Canada as professionals in the 1970s and 1980s and who are now retired. We also have elderlies who came within the past decade through the family sponsorship program. Although these two groups are of the same age bracket, their situations are quite different.” Knowing the varying situations of Filipino elderlies is important so that appropriate services can be provided to them.
 
The Filipino Elderly Wellbeing Project is seeking over 200 participants in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to complete a questionnaire. To qualify, participants have to be at least 65 years old, of Filipino ancestry, a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, and a GTA resident. The survey will ask questions about immigration, housing, employment, finances, food, health, medical and social services, mobility, and social networks. After the surveys are completed, a small number of participants will be interviewed to obtain more specific details.
 
Meanwhile, a letter has been sent out to leaders and members of Filipino associations in the Greater Toronto Area with the information and a request for participation.  What are the benefits for the participants?
 
·         Participants who complete the questionnaire will receive a gift card. They will also receive an additional gift card for participating in an optional interview.
·         Since the questionnaire and interview will be anonymous, the participants’ responses will be grouped in the overall findings. Hence, the participants will be able to share their experiences and perspectives in a confidential and non-judgmental manner.
·         The research findings may be used in policy, funding, and service-delivery discussions.
·         The research findings may be used in grant applications to develop new programs and services as well as enhance existing ones for Filipino elderlies.
 
Frank Villanueva, a board member of the Filipino Centre Toronto, initiated this collaboration after seeing the facilities and services for other ethnic elderlies in Toronto. He says, “The time has come for Filipinos to face the reality that we have an increasing graying population. So that we can properly support them, we need to ask, what are their needs? And that is where we will begin.”
 

 

 

Munting Nayon News Magazine