Project – The Influence of Migration on the Care Arrangements of Older Adults: A Study of Selected Households in Anambra State

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Population ageing is becoming an increasingly important social and developmental issue in Nigeria. Older adults require varying degrees of physical, emotional, social and financial assistance, particularly when age-related health conditions or functional limitations reduce their ability to live independently. In Nigeria, care for older adults has historically been organised primarily around the family, with adult children and other relatives providing assistance within the household. However, changes in family structure, urbanisation, economic pressures and population mobility are gradually transforming the traditional arrangements through which older persons receive care. Ebimgbo, Chukwu and Okoye (2021) observe that Nigerian older adults commonly depend on informal family support networks because formal systems of support remain limited. Similarly, Akinyemi et al. (2022) note that the growth of the older population in Nigeria is occurring alongside changes in traditional family support systems, creating important implications for the welfare and care of older adults. Thus, understanding contemporary care arrangements requires attention to the broader social and demographic changes affecting Nigerian households.

Migration is one of the major social processes capable of changing the composition and functioning of households. People migrate for various reasons, including employment, education, business opportunities, marriage, insecurity and the search for improved living conditions. Migration may occur within the same locality, between rural and urban areas, across states or internationally. When economically active members of a household migrate, their physical absence can alter the distribution of responsibilities among family members who remain behind. This is particularly significant in households where older parents depend on their adult children for everyday assistance. Mobolaji (2024) found that family and household structure is associated with the extent to which older Nigerians experience unmet needs in activities of daily living, while proximity to children and caregivers was associated with lower unmet needs. These findings suggest that physical proximity to family caregivers can be important in determining whether older adults receive adequate assistance with daily activities.

The influence of migration on older adults is not necessarily entirely negative because migration can generate financial resources that may be transferred to family members who remain in the place of origin. Migrant children or relatives may provide remittances that assist older parents with food, healthcare, housing, medication and other household expenses. Consequently, migration may create new forms of family support even when physical caregiving is reduced. However, financial assistance cannot always substitute for the practical and emotional support that older persons may require on a daily basis. Ebimgbo and Okoye (2024) found that older family members left behind by international migrant children in South-East Nigeria experienced behavioural, instrumental and social challenges associated with the migration of their children. Their findings demonstrate that migration can simultaneously generate economic benefits and create difficulties relating to companionship, assistance and everyday care. Therefore, the influence of migration on older adults needs to be examined beyond remittances by considering the overall organisation of care within households.

Care arrangements refer to the ways through which the physical, emotional, social and material needs of an older person are met. In the Nigerian context, such arrangements may involve adult children, spouses, grandchildren, siblings, extended family members, neighbours, religious organisations, paid caregivers and community-based support systems. Family members traditionally remain the major providers of care, but demographic and socioeconomic changes can require families to redistribute responsibilities when the principal caregiver migrates. Ebimgbo, Odoa and Okoye (2022) found in South-East Nigeria that family and community networks constitute important sources of support for older adults, although most caregiving support remained primarily filial, with relatively limited community involvement. Similarly, Ene et al. (2022) reported that filial care remained the culturally acceptable and feasible arrangement for older adults in Nigeria, even though changing family structures, economic difficulties and living arrangements were creating challenges for adult offspring providing care. These findings indicate that migration may influence not only who provides care but also how caregiving responsibilities are transferred among family and community members.

The South-Eastern region of Nigeria provides an important context for examining migration and older-adult care because family relationships, kinship obligations and migration have historically played significant roles in the social and economic organisation of households. Anambra State in particular has experienced substantial movement of people for education, employment, business and international migration, with consequences for households in which parents and other older relatives remain in the place of origin. Evidence concerning older adults in Anambra State demonstrates the importance of family-based financial support. Ebimgbo et al. (2021) examined gender differences in family support to older adults in South-East Nigeria and found that older adults relied heavily on informal family support, with differences in the forms of financial, emotional and material assistance received. In addition, research on financial support for older adults in Anambra State has highlighted the continuing importance of family resources in meeting older persons’ needs. This makes Anambra State a relevant setting for investigating whether migration alters the availability, source and organisation of care within households.

Migration can also affect the emotional and social dimensions of care. Older adults may require companionship, communication, reassurance, supervision and assistance in maintaining social relationships in addition to material support. When adult children migrate, communication may continue through telephone calls, social media, video calls and other technologies, but such communication may not completely replace face-to-face interaction. Ebimgbo and Okoye (2024) found that left-behind older family members in South-East Nigeria experienced social and behavioural challenges following the international migration of their children. Similarly, the literature on Nigerian elder caregiving identifies migration as one of the broader social changes reshaping who provides care, how care is financed and how emotional and practical support is maintained across distance. Thus, migration may produce a form of geographically distributed caregiving in which financial support, communication and practical care are divided among family members living in different locations.

The changing relationship between migration and elder care has important implications for the wellbeing of older adults and for the families responsible for their support. Where migration reduces the availability of nearby caregivers, older persons may become dependent on other relatives, neighbours or paid caregivers, and some care needs may remain unmet. Conversely, where migration generates sufficient remittances, families may be able to finance medical treatment, domestic assistance or other forms of support that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. The outcome may therefore depend on household resources, the number and location of migrant children, the health status of the older adult, the availability of alternative caregivers and the quality of communication between migrants and relatives at home. Mobolaji (2024) demonstrates that family size, household wealth, living arrangements and proximity to caregivers are associated with unmet support needs among older persons in Nigeria. Against this background, the present study focuses on selected households in Anambra State to examine how migration influences the arrangements through which older adults receive care and support.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The traditional Nigerian family has historically served as the principal source of care for older adults, with adult children expected to provide assistance as parents age. However, increasing migration of economically active family members may create difficulties for this arrangement because the people traditionally expected to provide direct care may no longer live close to their ageing parents. Ene et al. (2022), in a study involving adult offspring in Enugu, found that filial care remains culturally acceptable and important in Nigeria but is being challenged by changing family structures, economic conditions, living arrangements and other social changes. The problem is therefore not simply whether migrant children continue to support their parents, but whether their physical absence changes the type, frequency and adequacy of care available to older adults who remain in their communities.

A further problem concerns the difference between financial support and direct caregiving. Migration can enable adult children to send money to older parents, thereby assisting with food, healthcare, housing and other expenses. However, older adults may require assistance with activities such as bathing, cooking, movement, medication management, household tasks and attendance at medical appointments. Such needs may require the physical presence of a caregiver and cannot always be adequately addressed through remittances. Mobolaji (2024) found that older persons in Nigeria experienced substantial unmet needs in activities of daily living and that proximity to children and caregivers was associated with lower levels of unmet need. This raises concern about whether households affected by migration are able to establish alternative care arrangements capable of compensating for the absence of migrant family members.

Another problem relates to the emotional and social consequences of separation between older parents and migrant children. Older adults may experience reduced companionship, loneliness, anxiety or a sense of abandonment when close family members move away. Although modern communication technologies can enable migrant children to maintain contact with their parents, communication may not provide the same form of support as physical presence. Ebimgbo and Okoye (2024) specifically examined left-behind older family members with international migrant children in South-East Nigeria and reported behavioural, instrumental and social challenges associated with the migration of children. Their findings indicate that the consequences of migration extend beyond the provision or absence of money and include changes in the social and relational environment in which older people live.

The specific problem addressed by this study is that, although migration is widespread and family-based care remains central to the welfare of older adults in Nigeria, there is limited household-level evidence concerning how migration affects the actual care arrangements of older adults in Anambra State. Existing studies have examined family support, filial care, unmet care needs and the experiences of left-behind older adults in Nigeria and the wider South-East, but there remains a need to examine how migration changes the identity of caregivers, frequency of physical assistance, financial support, emotional support and reliance on alternative caregivers within households in Anambra State. This gap is particularly relevant because evidence from South-East Nigeria shows that family care remains predominant while community support is comparatively limited (Ebimgbo et al., 2022). Therefore, this study seeks to examine the influence of migration on the care arrangements of older adults in selected households in Anambra State.

1.3 Aim of the Study

The main aim of this study is to examine the influence of migration on the care arrangements of older adults in selected households in Anambra State.

The specific objectives are to:

1. examine the influence of migration on the provision of physical and instrumental care to older adults in selected households in Anambra State;
2. determine the influence of migration on the financial support available to older adults in selected households in Anambra State;
3. assess the influence of migration on the emotional and social support available to older adults in selected households in Anambra State; and
4. examine the influence of migration on the use of alternative caregivers and care arrangements for older adults in selected households in Anambra State.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. What is the influence of migration on the provision of physical and instrumental care to older adults in selected households in Anambra State?
2. What is the influence of migration on the financial support available to older adults in selected households in Anambra State?
3. What is the influence of migration on the emotional and social support available to older adults in selected households in Anambra State?
4. What is the influence of migration on the use of alternative caregivers and care arrangements for older adults in selected households in Anambra State?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following null hypothesis will be tested at the 0.05 level of significance:

H₀: Migration has no significant influence on the care arrangements of older adults in selected households in Anambra State.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study will be significant to older adults because it will draw attention to the different ways in which migration may affect the care and support available to them. The findings may help identify areas in which older adults experience difficulties as a result of the migration of adult children or other close relatives.

The study will be useful to families and caregivers because it may increase understanding of the need to establish sustainable care arrangements when family members migrate. The findings may help households consider how physical care, financial assistance, emotional support and other responsibilities can be distributed among family members.

The study will also be significant to migrant family members. By identifying the different dimensions of care that may be affected by migration, the findings may encourage migrants and their families to develop more deliberate arrangements for maintaining support for older relatives, including regular communication, remittances and arrangements for local caregiving.

The study may be useful to social workers, community organisations and welfare practitioners working with older adults. Evidence on the effects of migration may help practitioners identify older people who are vulnerable because of the absence of their principal family caregivers and develop appropriate community-based support mechanisms.

The study will also benefit government and policymakers concerned with ageing, migration, social protection and family welfare. Evidence concerning household care arrangements may assist policymakers in considering policies and services that complement family caregiving. This is particularly important because research has identified limitations in formal support for older Nigerians and the continuing dependence on family-based care (Ene et al., 2022; Ebimgbo et al., 2022).

Finally, the study will contribute to the academic literature on migration, ageing, family relations and social care in Nigeria. It will provide evidence from Anambra State that may be useful to researchers examining the relationship between migration and the welfare of older persons in the South-East and other parts of Nigeria.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study focuses on the influence of migration on the care arrangements of older adults in selected households in Anambra State.

Geographically, the study will be limited to selected households in Anambra State. The selected households will provide the context for examining the experiences of older adults and the family members responsible for providing or organising their care.

Conceptually, the independent variable is migration, particularly the migration of adult children or close family members who would ordinarily participate in supporting older adults. The dependent variable is care arrangements, examined through physical and instrumental care, financial support, emotional and social support, and the use of alternative caregivers.

The study will focus on older adults and households in which migration has occurred among close family members. It will not attempt to examine all forms of migration in Nigeria or all dimensions of population ageing. Similarly, it will not assess migration policy generally; rather, it will concentrate on the consequences of migration for household-level arrangements for caring for older adults.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Migration: The movement of an individual from one geographical location to another for a temporary or permanent period. In this study, particular attention is given to the movement of adult children or close relatives away from the household or community where older adults reside.

Older Adult: A person in later life who falls within the age category defined for the study and who may require varying levels of physical, emotional, financial or social support.

Care Arrangements: The organised ways through which the physical, instrumental, financial, emotional and social needs of an older adult are met.

Family Caregiving: The provision of assistance to an older adult by children, spouses, grandchildren, siblings or other relatives without necessarily being employed as professional caregivers.

Physical Care: Assistance provided to older adults with activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, movement, personal hygiene and other basic activities of daily living.

Instrumental Care: Assistance with more complex everyday activities such as shopping, cooking, transportation, household activities, medication management and financial or administrative tasks.

Financial Support: Money, material resources or payment for goods and services provided to an older adult to meet household, healthcare or personal needs.

Emotional Support: Companionship, affection, reassurance, communication, encouragement and other forms of psychological or relational assistance provided to an older adult.

Social Support: Assistance that enables older adults to maintain relationships, social activities, community participation and interaction with family members and other people.

Alternative Caregiver: A person who assumes caregiving responsibilities when the usual family caregiver is absent or unable to provide direct care. This may include another relative, neighbour, friend, paid caregiver, religious organisation or community-based support provider.

Migrant Family Member: A close relative who has moved away from the community or household where the older adult resides for employment, education, business, marriage or other reasons.

Left-Behind Older Adult: An older person who remains in the community or household after one or more close family members have migrated to another location.

1.9 Organisation of the Study

The study will be organised into five chapters.

Chapter One presents the introduction to the study. It contains the background to the study, statement of the problem, aim and objectives, research questions, research hypothesis, significance of the study, scope of the study, operational definitions and organisation of the study.

Chapter Two will review literature relevant to migration and the care arrangements of older adults. It will include the conceptual review, theoretical review and empirical review and will identify the gap in existing studies that the present research seeks to address.

Chapter Three will present the research methodology. It will discuss the research design, area of the study, population, sample size, sampling techniques, research instrument, validity and reliability of the instrument, method of data collection and method of data analysis.

Chapter Four will present the analysis and interpretation of data obtained from respondents. The research questions will be answered and the hypothesis will be tested at the 0.05 level of significance.

Chapter Five will present the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendations. It will also discuss the implications of the findings and make suggestions for further research.

Project – The Influence of Migration on the Care Arrangements of Older Adults: A Study of Selected Households in Anambra State