Migrants and Their Parents

Abstract

This article reports findings from exploratory interviews with migrants involved in caregiving for elderly parents who have remained “back home.” The findings indicate that such distant carers make an important contribution to the caring process through letters, phone calls, and caregiving visits. This is a contribution that has not been recognized in literature on aged care. The study also shows that such caregiving may involve an ongoing dialogue with the home country over many years and even the consideration of remigration as the consequence of family obligations and the perceived need for caregiving of family members in the home country.