Experiences and imaginaries of healthy ageing among older asylum seeking and refugee women in England: an oral histories and futures approach

Purpose Greater understanding of older asylum seeking and refugee women’s experiences and perspectives of ageing is critical to supporting and enabling healthy ageing and reducing health inequalities. This study aims to explore the experiences, understandings and future imaginaries of ageing and healthy ageing among older asylum seeking and refugee women living in England. Design/methodology/approach The study applied a novel oral histories and futures (OHF) methodology to a focus group design. A total of 29 older asylum seeking or refugee women participated in one of four focus groups. Findings Three key themes concerning participants’ experiences, understandings and future imaginaries of healthy ageing were identified: healthy ageing futures as (i) relational futures, (ii) connected futures and (iii) secure futures. Originality/value The study offers valuable insights into the ageing experiences and future imaginaries of older asylum seeking and refugee women in England and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study to innovate with OHF methods in a focus group setting.