Skip to main content
Log in

Elder-care in north american ismā'ĪlĪ families: A preliminary inquiry

  • Published:
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The KhŌja Ismā'ĪlĪs, socially and geographically mobile NĪzarĪ ShĪ'Ītes who are followers of the Aga Khan, have migrated in recent years to many urban areas of North America from South and Central Asia and Africa. Numerous cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic factors are shaping the ways in which over 4,500 Ismā'ĪlĪ households come to grips with providing informal long-term care to aging parents. Case descriptions illustrate some immigrant KhŌja Ismā'ĪlĪ elder-care strategies, as well as the particular limiting and enabling considerations with which Ismā'ĪlĪ families must cope in coordinating, planning and delivering care to their elders. Finally, I describe a questionnaire survey designed to determine the extent and nature of Ismā'ĪlĪ elder-care and caregiving contingency plans.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References Cited

  • Bose, M. 1984 The Aga Khans. Kingswood, England: World's Work Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody, E.M., and S.J. Brody 1989 The Informal System of Health Care. In Caring for the Elderly: Reshaping Health Policy. C. Eisdorfer, D.A. Kessler, and A.N. Spector, eds. Pp. 259–277. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engineer, A. 1980 The Bohras. Sahibabad: Vikas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frischauer, W. 1971 The Aga Khans. London: Hawthorne Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, M.J. 1984 Family Support Patterns, Policies and Programs. In Innovative Aging Programs Abroad: Implications for the United States. C. Nusberg, ed. Pp. 159–195. Westport: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kane, R.A., and R.L. Kane 1987 Long-Term Care: Principles, Programs, and Policies. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, B. 1975 The Origins of Ismā'ĪlĪsm: A Study of the Historical Background of the Fatimid Caliphate. Cambridge: W. Heffer and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nanji, A. 1978 The NĪzarĪ Ismā'ĪlĪ Tradition in the Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent. Delmar, New York: Caravan Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy, S. 1984 The Dawoodi Bohras: An Anthropological Perspective. Delhi: B.R. Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soldo, B.J. 1984 Supply of Informal Care Services: Variations and Effects on Service Utilization Patterns. In Project to Analyze Existing Long-Term Care Data, Vol. 3. W. Scanlon, ed. Pp. 56–97. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center [GRECC] Sepulveda VA Medical Center

The author wishes to thank Sikander Kajani for his assistance in the early work on this

The author wishes to thank Sikander Kajani for his assistance in the early work on this

The author wishes to thank Sikander Kajani for his assistance in the early work on this

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wieland, D. Elder-care in north american ismā'ĪlĪ families: A preliminary inquiry. J Cross-Cultural Gerontol 6, 165–171 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056754

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056754

Key Words

Navigation