- 10:00: Trial lecture: Dementia and mental health issues in older relatives, a challenge for family care givers in ahmadia communities and other transnational communities in Norway?
- 12:00: Public defence
You can stream this event (oslomet.zoom.us).
Meeting ID is 659 3666 2774. Passcode is 2026.
The ordinary opponents are:
- First opponent: Professor Dorthe Susanne Nielsen, University of Southern Denmark
- Second opponent: Professor Frode Fadnes Jacobsen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
- Leader of the committee: Associate Professor Sara Rivenes Lafontan, OsloMet
The leader of the public defense is Associate Professor Anurajee Rasalingam, OsloMet.
The main supervisor is Professor Jonas Debesay, OsloMet. The co-supervisors are Researcher Sanjana Arora, VID University College and Senior Lecturer Alistair Hunter, University of Glasgow.
Thesis abstract
As people grow older, their need for care increases and in many families, this care is mostly provided by women. This thesis highlights the often-overlooked contributions of female family members who provide care to older migrants.
While migrant families are often described as relying on informal caregiving, the transition between family-based and formal care remains understudied. This study explored the caregiving experiences of female family members of older Pakistani migrants within the Ahmadiyya community in Norway.
It examined how they conceptualize care ideals, navigate caregiving arrangements, and express their preferences for support in formal care settings.
Through interviews with 19 female caregivers and observations, the study demonstrates that caregiving is a dynamic process. Who provides care and how care is arranged are constantly evolving, shaped by transnationalism with dual reference points to both Pakistan and Norway, based on the intersection of ethnicity, religion, gender, migration and generation.
In many migrant families, care is shared through rotational arrangements, where care responsibilities are divided among family members. However, reliance solely on informal/family care often leads to ambivalence and guilt, particularly when there is a gap between care ideals and actual caregiving practices. This raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of such care.
Many family caregivers expressed a desire for formal care services at home, but they often found these services incompatible with the care needs of older migrants. As a result, caregiving responsibilities often shifted back to the family, reinforcing both the physical and emotional burden on women.
Conclusion
This study highlights that caregiving is not merely a private family matter, but something deeply connected to societal expectations and care policies. Formal care services must therefore respond better to the caregiving needs of migrant families.
Doing so would not only ease the burden on women and improve the well-being of both caregivers and older adults but also contribute to a more equitable and inclusive eldercare system.
