Settlement experiences among older immigrants who migrate late in life vary based on immigration class, traditions in the country of origin, pre-existing supports, and socioeconomic outlook. Sheets & Gallagher (2013) report that “Migration accounts for about two thirds of the total population growth in Canada. Ethnic diversity is increasing, and by 2031, approximately 28% of the population will be foreign born” (p. 2). Before delving into this chapter, it is important to explore the definition of a senior and decolonizing our understanding of age and social status (Kennedy, McGowan, & El-Hussein, 2020). Becoming a senior in Canada is generally seen as a life stage that is based on a retirement system; that is, when one reaches 65 years of age, they access a pension plan (Sheets & Gallagher, 2012, pp. 3–4).

In the Indigenous Canadian context, an Elder is someone who is able to offer a high degree of understanding of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit history, traditional teachings, ceremonies, and healing practices. Elders are the keepers of traditional knowledge, and their social position is not necessarily based on being a specific age. Kennedy, McGowan, and El-Hussein (2020) share that Indigenous knowledge is an opportunity to decolonize western perspectives of who is considered an Elder (p. 2). Nyamweru and Chidongo (2018) use the terms Elders and Councils of Elders to describe categories of Kenyan Elders who have positive roles in media and among younger people, as well as influence in society (p. 242). Elders from Nyamweru and Chidongo’s (2018) research are immediate family members who provide moral and extended parental guidance, whereas a Community of Elders (CoE) plays an important community role or is made up of Knowledge Keepers for important rites of passage, particularly in specific ethnic clans (p. 243).

In this chapter, an Elder is defined as someone who is the keeper of cultural traditions and may have gone through a life cycle to retirement. Elders are regarded as a point of cultural or traditional reference among immediate family and/or their own ethnocultural community. This definition will be used to contextualize the settlement experiences of older immigrants living in Canada. The images in Figure 1 provide a visual representation of the core discussion areas about immigrant seniors in Canada.

Settlement Experiences of Seniors in Canada	Cross-Cultural and Intercultural Frameworks for Communication
Evaluating Client Needs	Problem-Solving Challenging Situations

^{Figure 1: Chapter topics – These figures represent the topics discussed in this chapter.}

Key Terms