Social Isolation and Aging Out of Place Among Immigrants and Refugee Seniors in Canada

Immigrant and refugee seniors experience cultural barriers, discrimination, and limited networks which increase the risk of social isolation and thus hinder their active participation in the society. This paper explores social isolation among immigrant and refugee seniors in Canada based on an environmental scan of federal/provincial/territorial and community-based programs and a systematic scoping review. Findings revealed important gaps and regional disparities in opportuntiies to reduce social isolation and great active participation. Research was limited, often qualitative in nature, typically based on larger urban centres, with measurement issues related to the need for consideration beyond one's living arrangements. The results highlight the need for greater understanding Canada’s immigration and refugee system and policies, and collaboration across levels of government. Reducing issues of social isolation and enabling better active aging for vulnerable seniors require a more nuanced and multidimensional conceptualization with prioritization on addressing the unique factors of culture and geographical context.

“You Have to Accept the Pain”: Body Callusing and Body Capital in Circus Aerialism

Little sociological research has examined the work of circus aerialists. Drawing from interviews with 31 circus aerialists in Canada, we explore what aerialists say about their bodies. Circus aerialism is an intense form of physical work, and aerialists endure intense pain during training and performance. Engaging with sociologies of the body and injury, we examine how body capital is generated, maintained, and lost in the career of the aerialist, as well as how injury accelerates this process. Injury and “aging out” of the circus are prominent themes in what aerialists say about their bodies. Arguing that circus aerialism is an undervalued form of work in which risk accumulates in aerialist bodies, we explore how aerialist bodies provide tacit cues about how to avoid injury and when to consider retirement. In the conclusion, we explain how this work contributes to sociologies of the body and circus.

Aging out of foster care

In the United States, as in many other countries, the primary goal for children who enter foster care is a permanent home. Children can achieve permanency through reunification with the family from which they were removed, adoption by a new family, or placement with a legal guardian. Although most children who enter care achieve permanency, some remain in foster care until they “age out,” generally between their eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays, depending on the state in which they live. For young people who age out of care, the transition to adulthood is not an easy one. No longer able to count on the state for continuing support, yet unable to turn to their parents or other family members for financial and/or emotional support, these young people often find themselves having to make the transition to adulthood largely on their own. Federal child welfare policy to address the needs of youth aging out of foster care has evolved since the Title IV-E Independent Living Program was created in 1985 to provide states with funding to prepare youth in foster care for the transition to adulthood. Three major pieces of federal legislation enacted over the past two decades have gradually expanded the supports available to this population. The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 established the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (renamed the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood), the primary source of federal funding for independent living services. The law mandated the development of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) to collect data on the provision of independent living services in fourteen domains, the characteristics of youth who receive those services, and the outcomes from youth at ages 17, 19, and 21 beginning in FY 2011. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 granted states the option of extending the age of eligibility for federally funded foster care from 18 to 21. To qualify for extended federal foster care, young people must meet certain eligibility requirements. As of 2020, a majority of states, several tribal nations, and the District of Columbia have extended eligibility for federally funded foster care. Most recently, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 allows states to extend eligibility for Chafee-funded services to age 23. This evolution in federal policy reflects advancements in our understanding of normative development, growing knowledge about the complex challenges young people face during the transition to adulthood, changing attitudes about the state’s responsibilities as corporate parent, and empirical evidence of the benefits of allowing young people to remain in care beyond age 18.

Aging out of foster care: The experiences of former foster youth who successfully navigated this transition

Foster youth face high risks and poor outcomes after aging out of care resulting in great economic and human costs to society. The purpose of the study was to describe life experiences of children aging out of the foster care system from the perspectives of adults who have successfully navigated this transition. Their life experiences during this period provided meaningful information for this study which helped to identify themes. Their perceptions of the periods during and after their transitions were explored to investigate supportive relationships, education, and workplace stability. Phenomenology was used to describe the experiences of nine young adults who had aged out of foster care. Participant ages ranged from 20 to 25 years old. Audiotaped semi-structured interviews were conducted for the study. Data analysis was ongoing throughout data collection. Four themes were identified: (1) “Facing a transition”; (2) “Depending on adults for help”; (3) “Making a difference for others”; and (4) “Moving forward with my life.” These four themes highlighted the participants’ experiences as they aged out of foster care. This study contributes to our understanding of the life experiences of former foster youth who are successful after the transition out of foster care. Recommendations for practice and research are identified.