The National Caucus & Center on Black Aging Inc.
Minority aging facts: According to the Administration on Community Living (ACL) Racial and ethnic minority populations have increased from 7.2 million in 2007 (19% of the older adult population) to 11.8 million in 2017 (23% of older adults) and are projected to increase to 27.7 million in 2040 (34% of older adults). ACL has updated their profiles of older African American, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Asian American elders; information includes population and projections, disabilities, mortality and insurance, as of 2017.
Diversity Style Guide
From the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism at San Francisco State University; this guide includes hundreds of terms related to race/ethnicity, disability, immigration, sexuality and gender identity, drugs and alcohol, and geography. amalgamates information from more than 20 different style guides, journalism organizations and resources.
The Role of Medicare in Hispanics’ Health Coverage, from the National Council of La Raza
The proportion of elders from ethnic and racial communities will double.
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) develops Geriatrics Cultural Navigator, an iPhone app. AGS is addressing the need for culturally competent patient communication that involves the stigma many traditional cultures attached to mental health concerns. Contact is Jill Lubarsky.
Federal laws and regulations are codified in Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and guidances issued by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. See this excellent summary from attorneys at the National Senior Citizens Law Center.
To review 14 standards laid out in federal National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS), see this write-up from Office of Minority Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services For a consumer perspective on CLAS, look at this publication from the Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.
The Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum worked with the American Journal of Public Health to devote its entire May 2010 issue to the cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic differences between sub-groups within these broad categories.
Key sources for reporters covering diversity and aging include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Office of Minority Health and the U.S. Administration in Aging’s (AoA) state-by-state statistical breakdown of minorities.
Another valuable source for any reporter looking for recent research and experts on minority aging is the Gerontological Society of America.
GSA communication director Todd Kluss can provide a PDF of this 38-page booklet and contacts for listed speakers at GSA’s 64th annual meeting in Boston. He’ll also search GSA’s journals on any subject and provide relevant journalists pieces at no charge.
Stanford Internet-based Successful Aging (iSAGE): A completely online educational program for health care providers, social workers, allied professionals and others caring for older adults. Modules target targeted specific older ethnic and minority populations. This self-paced training program is designed to provide deeper understanding of the science behind healthy aging and end of life care. Many videos available; good for quick topic overviews.
Health Care Disparities
How Neighborhoods Affect the Health and Well-Being of Older Americans — a 2017 report from the Population Reference Bureau summarizes recent research on the association between neighborhood characteristics and the health and well-being of older adults.
See this helpful list of resources from the U.S. National Library of Medicine regarding health care disparities. Other important sources include the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Minority Health website, with Kaiser’s Monthly Update on Health Disparities, and the Commonwealth Fund, especially its website on vulnerable populations.
Six resource centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMARs) funded by the National Institutes in Aging, are key sources on this topic.
Specialized resources
National Hispanic Council on Aging: Hispanic seniors represent 7 percent of the U.S. older adult population and, by 2050, they will make up 20 percent of the nation’s older adults. The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) is a national organization working to improve the lives of Hispanic older adults, their families and their caregivers. NHCOA has developed a Hispanic Aging Network of community-based organizations across the continental U.S., the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that reaches millions of Latinos each year. NHCOA also works to ensure the Hispanic community is better understood and fairly represented in U.S. policies.
Asociacion Nacional Pro Personas Mayores (National Association for Hispanic Elderly)
Hispanic Health and Aging in a New Century
National Caucus and Center on the Black Aged
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging
Profile of Asian American Seniors in the United States
Statistics
Statistical profile: Black Older Americans Age 65
Statistical profile: Hispanic Older Americans Age 65
Statistical profile: Asian Older Americans Age 65
Statistical profile: American Indian and Native Alaskan Elderly
National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA): This group’s primary focus is on low-income African-Americans, quality of life, aging with dignity. They offer a health and wellness program which addresses social justice issues in health care – access, barriers, cost. They also provide educational programs on aging-related health issues specific to minority populations.