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Paper short abstract

This paper examines how Ukrainian migrants in Iceland navigate transnational elder care amid war, different welfare regimes and institutional change. Drawing on interviews, it explores emotional, legal and practical challenges and how formal and informal care systems adapt in times of crisis.

Paper long abstract

The ongoing migration from EEA countries disturbs traditional models of care by replacing hands on, direct care with transnational, distant care and an increasing reliance on care institutions and the third sector. While transnational parenting has been extensively researched, relatively little is known about institutional challenges care givers face when providing care for their elderly parents across borders. The socio-legal dimension of elderly caregiving and the evolving power dynamics among migrants and between migrants and the local population remain understudied.

Ukraine has a long history of emigration prompted mostly by economic factors. The full-scale Russian invasion into Ukraine has resulted in an exponential growth in both the numbers and composition of those migrating, with women (typically the primary caregivers) and children forming the majority. War poses new challenges to transnational care.

In this paper we focus on migrants and how they navigate different welfare regimes, care models, geographical distance and political conflict. We are interested in the intersection of the emotional, practical, legal and financial challenges that transnational care posits from the adult migrant child via the care giver perspective. Focusing on interviews with Ukrainian migrants residing in Iceland, our case studies illustrate the evolving institutional landscape following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, shedding light on how formal and informal care services have been adjusted in times of crisis, as well as, exposing how migrants navigate multiple welfare regimes in their caregiving practices.