Migranten van het eerste uur: een verloren generatie op leeftijd?1
In: Sociologie, Volume 15, Issue 2, p. 209-233
Abstract Scholarly attention for the position of older Moroccan and Turkish migrants has been rising in recent years. The focus lies on their relatively high vulnerability, as compared to non-migrant older Dutch their financial situation and living conditions are less comfortable
and they have more physical and psychosocial health problems. Still, they have benefited from taking the step to migrate. Compared to age peers in the home country they are more prosperous and have access to better medical care, their (grand)children can look forward to a better future, and
there is more space for personal freedom here. Moreover, the general picture of vulnerability does not do justice to the many older Moroccan and Turkish migrants who do have the right resources to grow old in a resilient manner. There is also increasing attention for the best type of care
for those who need it the most. The dominant norm within the Moroccan and Turkish communities of children being their parents' caregivers is increasingly clashing with the busy professional and family lives of the informal carers. One has to learn to accept that informal care is not
always the only good or even the most suitable type of care. The current problem is that although there are culture-specific and multicultural (residential) care facilities, these are not enough to meet future care demands. Structurally fostering cultural sensitivity in regular care institutions
is really needed too. A hallmark showing that migrant-friendly policies are being implemented can speed up this process.