Older immigrants and natural helpers

Since the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1965, immigrants from Europe have been replaced increasingly by immigrants from Latin America and Asia. The latter, in particular, are from societies so dissimilar from the United States that they face major adjustment problems. Many of the older immigrants come as parents of American citizens, but despite reunification with their families, they may experience a sense of isolation due to limited opportunities to interact with other people. Case studies of natural helpers (individuals who are not employed in the helping professions but voluntarily choose to spend part of their time informally helping others) operating within the Chinese community in Boston reveal how their services complement those of the formal sector. The characteristics which make them both approachable and credible to older immigrants as well as their possible recruitment as outreach workers are discussed. ka]Key Words kb]older immigrants kb]natural helpers kb]Chinese community kb]patterns of immigration.