Home Away From Home: Exploring Ageing and Well‐Being in Refugee Women's Lives

ABSTRACT

Ageing far from one's homeland presents profound challenges and transformative opportunities for resilience, identity and well‐being. For women whose lives have been shaped by displacement, loss, chronic uncertainty and fractured communities, conventional frameworks of ‘successful ageing’ often fail to capture the depth of their lived realities. This study explores how older refugee women perceive and experience ageing within resettlement contexts. Twenty‐six participants, aged 50–68 years ( M  = 60.1), were recruited from a Midwestern community in the United States. Through in‐depth qualitative interviews, participants reflected on their experiences of ageing and their perceptions of successful ageing in a new cultural environment. Thematic analysis revealed that older refugee women understood ageing through the lenses of embodied time, evolving identity, accumulated wisdom and survival and endurance. Furthermore, being spiritually connected, adapting to change, maintaining physical and emotional well‐being, sustaining social connections and feeling heard and respected emerged as central components of well‐being. These findings highlight how cultural background and migration history shape perceptions of ageing and well‐being. Understanding these perspectives is essential for developing culturally responsive interventions and community programs that promote inclusion, resilience and dignity in later life among older refugee populations.