'Elderly' Pak, Bangladeshi people fear lack of family support

A new study has suggested that elderly people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities in England fear lack of family support during their twilight years.

The research at Brunel University London reported that elderly people in these communities expect their children and wider family to look after them in old age and are traditionally unlikely to take-up state social services.

Author Christina Victor said that all of the participants expected that their children would support them in old age in some way, but there was also a very real concern that things were changing in the South Asian community, with concerns expressed about "neglectful" children and older people being put into homes by their families.

Victor added that using social care was often perceived negatively because it suggested a lack of family support and consequent loss of face within the wider community.

The study, 'Families and Caring in South Asian Communities,' points to the need for social care services in Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities to focus on supporting families to care rather than being seen as an alternative to family care.