Return Migration in the Context of Parental Assistance in the AIDS Epidemic: The Thai Experience

Published in 2001, this 22-page report starts from the premise that persons with AIDS (PWAs) eventually require demanding caregiving, leading them to migrate back to their childhood roots in search of parental caregiving. The study uses both direct and indirect approaches to examine the extent of return migration of adults with AIDS in Thailand, exploring how this migration is linked to residence with and care by older aged parents. The document shows that most PWAs return within a few months of their death.

This document is part of a research project funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging and conducted by a joint team of Thai and US researchers. The project explores the impact of HIV/AIDS on older persons in Thailand whose adult children are infected with the HIV virus.