A household survey of older Iu-Mien refugees in rural California

There is a very sparse literature on the distinct named cultural groups that migrated from Southeast Asia to the USA in recent years, especially on the elderly. People aged 60 or more years from one specific group, Iu-Mien refugees primarily from the highlands of Laos, are discussed here, through: (a) a review of available information about the traditional roles of older people and adjustment to life in the USA, and (b) a household survey of one community of Iu-Mien in Merced, California. Older people comprise a larger than expected proportion (7%) of the Iu-Mien community. The large households remain traditional in composition with many older men acting as patriarchs to several generations of lineal kin. Women, who are usually widows, tend to live with the families of sons or sons-in-law. Intergenerational disaffection has been reported in the literature, in part due to the status losses by older people and role reversals so common among refugees. © 1997 Kluwer Academic Publishers.