Pickering John, Crooks Valorie A, Snyder Jeremy, Milner Trudie
Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
Yuma Regional Medical Center, 2400 S Avenue A, Yuma, AZ, 85364, USA.
Trop Dis Travel Med Vaccines. 2021 Apr 12;7(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s40794-021-00136-4.
Every year, tens of thousands of older Canadians travel abroad during the winter months to enjoy warmer destinations that offer social and recreational opportunities. How do these Canadians prepare to manage their health while abroad? In this analysis we explore this question by developing a typology of preparatory strategies.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 older Canadians living seasonally in Yuma, Arizona (United States). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed to form the basis of a typology of preparatory strategies.
Four distinct preparatory strategies form the typology that summarizes how Canadian international retirement migrants prepare to manage their health while abroad. First, some participants became thoroughly prepared by gathering information from multiple sources and undertaking specific preparatory activities (e.g., visiting a travel medicine clinic, purchasing travel health insurance, bringing prescription refills). Second, some participants were preparation-adverse and relied on their abilities to address health needs and crises in-the-moment. Third, some participants became well informed about things they could do in advance to protect their health while abroad (e.g., purchasing travel health insurance) but opted not to undertake preparatory actions. A final group of participants prepared haphazardly.
This typology can assist health care providers in international retirement migrant destinations to appreciate differences among this patient population that is often characterized as being relatively homogenous. More research is needed to determine if these preparatory strategies are common in other mobile populations and if they are found in other destinations popular with international retirement migrants.
每年冬季，成千上万的加拿大老年人出国旅行，前往气候更温暖、能提供社交和娱乐机会的目的地。这些加拿大人在国外时如何为管理自身健康做准备？在本分析中，我们通过构建准备策略类型来探讨这个问题。
对19名季节性居住在美国亚利桑那州尤马市的加拿大老年人进行了半结构化访谈。访谈内容逐字转录并进行主题分析，以形成准备策略类型的基础。
四种不同的准备策略构成了该类型，总结了加拿大国际退休移民在国外时如何为管理自身健康做准备。首先，一些参与者通过从多个来源收集信息并开展特定的准备活动（如前往旅行医疗诊所、购买旅行健康保险、携带处方续填），做了充分准备。其次，一些参与者抵触准备工作，依靠自己当下应对健康需求和危机的能力。第三，一些参与者清楚了解在国外可以提前采取哪些措施来保护自己的健康（如购买旅行健康保险），但选择不采取准备行动。最后一组参与者准备得很随意。
这种类型可以帮助国际退休移民目的地的医疗服务提供者认识到这一通常被视为相对同质化的患者群体之间的差异。需要更多研究来确定这些准备策略在其他流动人群中是否常见，以及在其他受国际退休移民欢迎的目的地是否也能发现这些策略。
