Hong-Jae Park

Ageing in an inconvenient paradise: The immigrant experiences of older Korean people in New Zealand

The purpose of this paper is to explore the immigrant experiences of older Korean people and their intergenerational family relationships in the New Zealand context.

Living with ‘Hwa-byung’: the psycho-social impact of elder mistreatment on the health and well-being of older people

Objectives: Elder abuse and neglect is an increasing concern that adversely affects the health and well-being of older people in most societies. The purpose of this paper is to describe the psycho-social impact of elder mistreatment on the health and well-being of older Korean people living in New Zealand. Method: Data were collected from in-depth interviews. The lived experiences of elder abuse and neglect were studied with 10 older people who were, or who had been, mistreated in their family context. To analyse the data collected, a combined analysis approach was employed using traditional code-based techniques and a concept-mapping method. Results: The findings of the study show that the effects of elder mistreatment were complex and multidimensional. The older persons who were mistreated in family settings experienced a range of emotional, psychological distress and physical symptoms. Many of them identified ‘Hwa-byung’ (literally anger disease) as a health issue associated with suppressed emotions of anger, demoralisation, heat sensation and other somatised symptoms. Conclusion: Elder abuse and neglect is a traumatic life event that has considerable psycho-social impacts on older people experiencing the problem. It is important to recognise the power of multidimensional challenges caused by elder mistreatment in health and well-being.

Legislating for filial piety : an indirect approach to promoting family support and responsibility for older people in Korea

Although every culture follows its own indigenous elder care practices, Korea has retained a unique way of supporting elder parents, specifically, and older people in general. When the care of older people in Korea became significantly challenging, it was determined to launch a controversial law to promote the tradition of filial piety. The main content of the law consists of requiring the government to take action to encourage filial piety and to support those adult children who care for their parents. Although this legislation has the potential to promote the practice of filial piety, the nature of the law is largely rhetorical and symbolic rather than practical, and as a result, its workability and efficiency are limited.

Bystander attitudes toward parents? The perceived meaning of filial piety among Koreans in Australia, New Zealand and Korea

The objective of this paper was to explore how present‐day filial piety is understood among Koreans in geographically different settings.

Lessons from filial piety: Do we need ‘memorial social work’ for the dead and their families?

Death is often a taboo topic and, consequently, there is a reluctance to address matters such as the cultural importance of after-life reputations and ancestor remembrance in the social work field. Reflecting on filial piety studies with Korean participants, this article aims to call attention to such death-related issues and their implications for end-of-life, palliative social work practice and research. The term ‘memorial social work’ is used to help practitioners broaden the scope and quality of social work associated with people who have died and their surviving families. The discussion in this paper includes issues related to filial piety and attitudes towards ageing parents, ancestor honour and remembrance and family continuity. The areas to which memorial social work are particularly pertinent are suggested for further development.

Ageing in anomie: Later life migration and its implications for anti-anomic social work practice

Reflecting on studies with Korean migrants in New Zealand, this article aims to identify the issues associated with later life migration and transnational family life among older Korean people who have immigrated in their old age. The discussion in this reflection highlights that older migrants often face challenges in ageing in a place where their norms and values are eroded, although later life migration can also allow them to enrich their life experience overseas. Their intergenerational relationships are influenced by transnational family contexts. Implications for social work practice are discussed, focusing on ‘anti-anomic’ practice in working with migrant populations and their communities.

Lessons from 'memorial piety': Capitalising on the connectedness between living and past generations and its implications for social work practice:

Just as ageing is part of life, so is death. Death does not end people’s desire to connect with deceased family members and, arguably, the connection between the dead and the living plays an important role in people’s lives and relationships. This article explores the matter of ancestor worship, as a form of filial piety, and highlights the importance of considering an “expanded” connection between past and current generations, beyond death. Data were collected from two qualitative studies with Korean residents from Australia, New Zealand and Korea, and analysed using an altered mode of thematic analysis in a Korean and English bilingual context. The findings from the studies show that connectedness with ancestors is an important part of the participants’ physical and mental worlds. The discussion in this article includes the meaning of ancestral engagement, ancestral veneration, and mutual connections between ascendants and descendants. The term “memorial piety” is used to define what people practise in relation to remembering and commemorating ancestors or other late loved ones – not necessarily worshipping them in contemporary times. This article addresses a need to broaden the scope and quality of social work for both people who have died and their surviving families, and highlights the potential role of social workers in promoting a meaningful relatedness between past and living generations.

Lessons from filial piety: A social-life-span approach to building the connection that survives death

Abstract The purpose of this article is to unpack concepts surrounding “the connection that survives death” between living people and the deceased. The study was designed as the qualitative arm of an integrated project on filial piety in contemporary times, and data were collected from 17 interviews with Korean human service professionals from Australia, New Zealand and Korea. The findings from the study indicate that the connectedness with the dead is an important part of the participants’ mental and social lives, and this postmortem relationship can be embodied through practising “memorial piety” and “memorial work”.

MENTAL HEALTH IN LATER LIFE—AN AUSTRALASIAN EXPERIENCE

Both Australia and New Zealand are ageing societies where their populations are growing older and more diversified. As is the case in most developed nations, a significant proportion of older people experience mental health issues in their everyday lives in these nations. The prevalence of mental illness, ranging from depression to dementia, is significantly increasing among older adults across genders, cultures and ethnicities. Consequently, there is greater pressure on the health and social care system to meet the needs of older adults with mental health conditions, and such challenges will be constant in coming decades. This presentation provides an outline of ‘mental health in older adults’ in Australian and New Zealand contexts. It also discusses major issues associated with services and policies, alongside current programmes and practice models, in mental health care for older people in both societies. Cultural influences and caregiving realities are addressed for further discussion.

The Role of Social Work for Foreign Residents in an Epidemic: The MERS Crisis in the Republic of Korea

This article explores the experiences of foreign residents during the period of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in (South) Korea and discusses from a social work perspective the implications of their experiences and their needs. Data were obtained from interviews with 22 foreigners who either live and work or study in Korea. The data were then interpreted using a thematic analysis approach in a multilingual research context. The findings from the study show that foreign residents experienced a wide range of social and psychoemotional difficulties during the MERS health threat. Implications for social work practice in an epidemic emergency are presented.