McMaster University and University of Liverpool partnership explores ageing in minoritised ethnic groups
Building upon the partnership between the University of Liverpool’s Centre for Ageing and the Life Course and McMaster University, researchers visit Canada to discuss findings from a ground-breaking study into frailty in minoritised ethnic groups in the UK.
Hosted by the Gibrea Centre for Studies in Aging - SHARE network, Professor Susan Pickard, Director of the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course, shared insights from an ESRC-funded longitudinal study ‘Frailty and Ethnicity’. The lecture shed light on the unique ways in which ageing is experienced and conceptualised by minority ethnic groups in the UK, challenging mainstream ideas about ‘successful ageing’.
The research expands the existing literature on ageing, particularly critiquing the conventional narrative of ‘successful ageing’. Focussing on five minority ethnic groups living in a diverse UK city - Leicester - participants of the study were encouraged to use photography to document their experiences of ageing. Their narratives were analysed through two key lenses: intersectionality, which acknowledges how various aspects of identity – race, gender, and class – intersect and evolve over time; and phenomenology, which examines older age as a unique existential life stage.
The research explored alternative perspectives of how these groups define and experience 'ageing well'. The findings were discussed in the lecture.
The event was followed by a robust seminar and discussion amongst attendees. These insights hold important implications for clinicians and others working with older adults from diverse backgrounds, as they provide a more inclusive understanding of how to help people flourish in later life.
The ongoing partnership between McMaster University and the University of Liverpool, particularly through the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course, continues contribute to global knowledge on issues related to ageing, health, and diversity.