Community Context and the Lives of Korean American Immigrant Elderly

Author: Jibum Kim

Dissertation School: University of Chicago

Abstract:

To understand the housing needs of foreign-born minority elderly and their utilization of community services, this dissertation aims to examine Korean American elderly as one case of minority elderly. The dissertation consists of two parts: (1) the role of community context, that is, subsidized housing and ethnic enclaves, on independent living of the Korean American elderly and (2) time use of the Korean American elderly in daily life.

The first part will examine how the proportion of elderly living independently is associated with the availability of public housing proximal to the Korean ethnic community in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Though immigrant elderly lack proficiency in English and have low income levels, previous studies on the living arrangements of the Korean American elderly have focused on the cultural traditions or individual characteristics, without addressing community-level structural factors.

The second part will examine the processes by which Korean American elderly move into subsidized housing and how different housing environments provide opportunities for the immigrant elderly to live independently and integrate with the community. Though independent living is highly relevant to aging in place and is influenced by both housing environment and provision of community services, previous studies have mainly dealt with these issues separately.

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