Iranian Elders in Northern California : Building Community
Through the Mohabat Center
Mary Elaine Hegland
Santa Clara University
Displaced to a new society, culture, and language
environment, Iranian grandparents in Northern California face isolation,
loneliness, and a sense of lost, as they are removed from their
friends and families, and even from their children, who are busy
with their Silicon Valley Lives. Iranians value social interaction
and generally do not like to sit by themselves. Thus, they experience
the loneliness and isolation, which come from living by themselves
(something which was almost unheard of in Iranian culture) or staying
at home alone as their children, spouses, and grandchildren go
off to work and school. Coming as elders from Iran , or adjusting
to getting older in a society which does not have the respect for
the elderly, Iranian elders are faced with the necessity of developing
new lives, social relations, and opportunities for social interaction.
This study is based on interviews with more than 30 Iranian elderly,
with several professionals, and with younger people about the situation
of Iranian elderly. Furthermore, the study involved more than 300
hours of participant observation and interviewing at the Mohabat
Senior Citizen Day Activity and Care Center and at the Iranian
Grandparents' Club. The study explored how seniors were able to
construct new relationships, to develop a sense of community and
belonging, to enjoy activities and interactions, and to increase
their zest for life through attendance at the Center and the Grandparents'
Club ESL course. The elderly had an opportunity to play familiar
games, learn English, and speak Persian with others who understood
their situation. They could also eat familiar Persian food, enjoy
Persian poetry, music, and dancing, make new Iranian friends, see
friends on a regular basis, and develop a sense of belonging.
These
immigrant Iranian elderly, who were deprived of so much of what
is familiar and crucial to a sense of well being, were able to
develop new social relations and a schedule of activities through
attending the Center and the Grandparents' Club, thus increasing
the richness and satisfaction of their lives in a new country.
The
study will contribute to the literature on aging, immigration and
ethnicity and will hopefully be useful in developing policies and
programs for Iranian elderly both in the US and in Iran .
