海外华人社区“空巢老人”社会支持体系研究:基于英国牛津的个案

Social Supporting System of “Empty Nesters” in Overseas Chinese Communities: A Case Study on Oxford, Britain

论文以英国牛津华人社区为研究个案,探讨了在全球化背景下,社会支持理论及其在空巢老人研究中的应用、牛津华人移民空巢老人的基本情况;论文调研了华人移民空巢老人在社会融入中的问题,介绍了牛津华人中心的运作对空巢老人的社会支持。调研结果显示,全球老龄化背景下的老年人社会支持问题愈益引起各国关注,但与当地主流和华人社会存在"双重距离"的华人移民空巢老人却一直属于被忽视的群体。华人移民空巢老人在生活起居、精神慰藉、经济条件、医疗服务、信息获取等方面存在诸多问题,亟需社会支持。牛津华人中心基于华人社会需求和历史发展机遇而诞生,并逐步构建了以其为核心平台的多主体参与、多层次展开、多方式实施的社会支持体系,聚集各类资源,调节服务供给,推动了华人移民老人社会支持的发展。

Based on a case study in Chinese community in Oxford, UK, this paper explores the social support theory and its application in the study of empty nesters. It also investigates the basic situation and social integration problems of the Chinese empty nesters in Oxford, and introduces the social support operation of Oxford Chinese Center for Chinese empty nesters. The research findings reveal that the problem of social support for the elderly has aroused increasing concern in many countries in the context of global aging. However, Chinese immigrants empty nesters are still a neglected group who has Chinese empty nes with the local mainstream and Chinese society. Due to the issues such as daily life related problems, spiritual consolation, economic help, medical service, and information obtaining, etc, the empty nesters are in urgent need of social supports. Oxford Chinese Center was founded on the basis of Chinese society needs and historicaldevelopment opportunities, and gradually became a core platform of social supporting system with multi-agent participating, multi-level unfolding and multi-way implementing to gather resources and regulates services and supplies, it promotes the development of social supports for overseas Chinese empty nesters.