By
Alex Aiayi-Bembe, Edinburg, Texas, USA
In my first article, I noted that the life cycle is shaped by many variables, including race, ethnicity, culture, tradition, heritage, beliefs and myths. I also began looking at how the United States approaches ageing and the care of senior citizens, particularly through programmes such as Medicare and Social Security.
For someone who has worked and contributed to Social Security for the required period, retirement benefits may become available from age 62, although the amount depends on several factors, including when the person begins collecting the benefit. Medicare, on the other hand, is a federal health insurance programme with its own eligibility rules, generally beginning at age 65 for many people.
Let me make an important disclaimer here: this is not an attempt to provide an in-depth analysis of Social Security, Medicare or the entire US senior-care system. That would require a much longer and more specialised discussion. My aim is simply to give readers a basic understanding of some of the support systems available to older people in America.
In my first article, I mentioned several arrangements for caring for senior citizens, including nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, subsidised housing for older people and home-based care for those who can afford to employ caregivers.
These categories are not mutually exclusive. There are many variations and combinations.
For example, depending on eligibility and the state in which they live, some older people can receive publicly funded home- and community-based services that enable them to remain in their own homes or live with relatives rather than move into residential facilities.
Such arrangements can benefit both the individual and the family. An older person can remain in a familiar environment, while a family member who provides approved care may, in some circumstances, receive payment through a government-supported programme.
The larger point is that the system recognises that ageing can be a complex process and that older people may require different forms of support to maintain their dignity, independence and quality of life.
After retirement, many things can change—sometimes by accident, sometimes by design.
People stop working. Their children leave home. A spouse may die, or a marriage may end. Children may live hundreds or thousands of miles away. Everybody is busy.
Suddenly, the home that was once full of activity can become quiet.
For some older people, loneliness, isolation and boredom become serious problems. Others may already be living with conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, depression or other mental-health challenges. Some may later develop conditions associated with ageing, including dementia or Parkinson’s disease.
All these factors can complicate the health and wellbeing of older people. This is one reason some families choose residential facilities where older adults can receive specialised medical, nursing or supportive care.
And what happens to Nigerians?
Every society develops its approach to caring for older people from its culture, traditions, heritage and values.
In Nigeria—and traditionally across much of Africa — older parents have largely remained within the family system. In many cases, grandparents have played important roles in raising subsequent generations, provided they live long enough to do so.
But I believe that things have changed considerably since the turn of the century, partly because of what Nigerians now popularly call “JAPA.”
There is local JAPA — people moving from villages and smaller towns to cities such as Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Benin in search of a “better life”.
Then there is international JAPA — people emigrating to the UK, US, Canada and other countries in search of “greener pastures”.
Some people who migrate eventually take their parents with them. Those parents then become part of a completely different social environment. Some may work, while others help look after grandchildren.
Gradually, however, the traditional system in which the extended family collectively cared for older people can begin to weaken.
The older parent may become stressed or lonely because everyone is busy with work, school and other responsibilities. The children may be physically present but emotionally or socially unavailable.
And then, sometimes, things begin to fall apart.
This can happen with both local and international JAPA. The difference is that it can be more difficult in the diaspora because the traditional Nigerian extended-family safety net is largely absent.
Back home, an older person may still be able to move between relatives or, in difficult circumstances, return to the village. There are usually siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews or other members of the extended family who can provide some form of support.
That safety net becomes much thinner abroad.
So, from everything I have discussed so far, some of you may be wondering:
How do Nigerian senior citizens actually cope with ageing in the US, UK, Canada and other parts of the diaspora?
My bet is that their experience may not be as different from what we imagine.
But there are some important difference s— and that is where we go next.
Ageing in the Diaspora by Alex Aiayi-Bembe is a regular weekly column under our Healthy Ageing Project, a collaborative platform on healthy ageing and longevity, with Healhtimes Communications Nigeria Limited serving as the interim administrative host
