Navigating Transnational Healthcare: A Grounded Theory Approach to Understanding Ukrainian Older Adult Refugees in Toronto
摘要
Older migrants comprise a significant proportion of Canada’s older adult population, particularly in larger metropolitan centers like Toronto. The Ukrainian older adult refugee population in Canada continues to rise amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. Within Canada, older adult refugees are more likely to face barriers to access healthcare services, influencing the use of transnational healthcare practices to meet their healthcare needs. Limited research exists on the use of transnational healthcare practices and how they play a role in the lives of this population. This study aims to explore how transnational healthcare practices influence health-related behaviors of Ukrainian older adult refugees in the Greater Toronto Area.
MethodsA qualitative study was conducted following the Constructivist Grounded Theory study design to explore Ukrainian older adult refugees’ experiences with transnational healthcare practices. Twenty-six in-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted where data was transcribed verbatim, translated, and analyzed including memoing and coding, focusing on refinement of identified themes.
ResultsThe analysis identified three main themes which include the following: (1) structural dimensions of healthcare access, (2) interpersonal and navigational processes, and (3) cultural differences, perceived trust, and satisfaction along with additional subthemes that helped to shape the participants’ experiences with transnational healthcare practices to overcome unmet healthcare needs in Canada.
ConclusionThis study provides guidance to enhance healthcare access by reducing barriers through improvements to clinical practice and healthcare policies within host countries and contributes to a deeper understanding of how transnational healthcare practices influence healthcare seeking behaviors of Ukrainian older adult refugees in Toronto.