Américains d'origine asiatique: vieillissement et respect des traitions

Comme le reste de la population américaine la population d'origine asiatique est aux prises avec un phénomène de vieillissement. Traditionnellement lorsque les plus âgés perdent de l'autonomie, les enfants demeurent à la maison pour les aider, plusieurs quittant leur emploi. Plusieurs asiatiques sont actuellement déchirés entre le respect de la tradition et des habitudes vie qui nécessitent souvent deux salaires pour subvenir aux besoins d'une famille.

 "“This idea that the younger generation is culturally mandated to take care of their parents is deeply ingrained in the Chinese culture,” Mr. Feng said. “Children are supposed to take care of older parents in need.” But that tradition is being eroded, he said, by the increasing number of families that are geographically dispersed or in which both spouses have to work.

 That is changing somewhat, both here and in Asia. The aging population has forced some communities in China to create nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, which barely existed there years ago, Mr. Feng said. And retirement communities for Asian-Americans are increasingly popular.

 Health care providers in the United States confront culturally sensitive questions like whether to address patients by their first name or whether to ask someone who may have been a refugee about war trauma. Language barriers are another hurdle, said Kun Chang, Northeast regional coordinator at the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging.

 http://app.nytimes.com/#2014/01/15/us/as-asian-americans-age-their-children-face-cultural-hurdles