Long-Term Care and Ethnicity

Long-Term Care and Ethnicity PDF

Author: Ada Mui

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 1998-08-27

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The first comprehensive analysis of ethnic/racial differences in long-term care needs and service use.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Health of Older Americans

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Health of Older Americans PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1997-09-23

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 0309175569

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Older Americans, even the oldest, can now expect to live years longer than those who reached the same ages even a few decades ago. Although survival has improved for all racial and ethnic groups, strong differences persist, both in life expectancy and in the causes of disability and death at older ages. This book examines trends in mortality rates and selected causes of disability (cardiovascular disease, dementia) for older people of different racial and ethnic groups. The determinants of these trends and differences are also investigated, including differences in access to health care and experiences in early life, diet, health behaviors, genetic background, social class, wealth and income. Groups often neglected in analyses of national data, such as the elderly Hispanic and Asian Americans of different origin and immigrant generations, are compared. The volume provides understanding of research bearing on the health status and survival of the fastest-growing segment of the American population.

Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life

Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-09-08

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 0309165865

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

As the population of older Americans grows, it is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Differences in health by racial and ethnic status could be increasingly consequential for health policy and programs. Such differences are not simply a matter of education or ability to pay for health care. For instance, Asian Americans and Hispanics appear to be in better health, on a number of indicators, than White Americans, despite, on average, lower socioeconomic status. The reasons are complex, including possible roles for such factors as selective migration, risk behaviors, exposure to various stressors, patient attitudes, and geographic variation in health care. This volume, produced by a multidisciplinary panel, considers such possible explanations for racial and ethnic health differentials within an integrated framework. It provides a concise summary of available research and lays out a research agenda to address the many uncertainties in current knowledge. It recommends, for instance, looking at health differentials across the life course and deciphering the links between factors presumably producing differentials and biopsychosocial mechanisms that lead to impaired health.

Who Will Care for Us?

Who Will Care for Us? PDF

Author: Ronald Angel

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 1999-06

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 0814706835

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"An important contribution to the on-going national dialogue concerning the need for planning for an increasingly aged population and its impact on our social, political, medical, economic institutions." --Wisconsin Bookwatch "Based on their assessments of the levels of need for the long-term care among African-American, Latino, and non-Latino white older persons, the authors offer viable and attractive possible alternatives to institutionalization in the long-term care of the elderly." --Nurse Practitioner "A major contribution. Should be a part of every course on social gerontology, long-term care, the demography of aging, or formal/informal support networks of the elderly." --Robert Joseph Taylor, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan America is getting older. By the year 2010, almost one in five Americans will be 65 years of age or older.The combined forces of low fertility and longer life spans among all racial and ethnic groups have resulted in a disproportionate increase in the number of individuals over 65 and an even faster increase in the proportion of those individuals over eighty-five. As a result, the nation faces an unprecedented challenge in addressing the economic, medical, and long-term care needs of this older population at the same time that it assures the welfare of the young. The growth of the cost of the long-term care of the elderly is one of the major forces behind recent increases in Medicaid expenditures, and any reformed health care financing system will have to find ways of providing high quality long-term care to older Americans at a reasonable cost. In a racially and culturally diverse nation like the United States, official policy regarding the care of the elderly simply cannot be based on the assumption that the elderly are a culturally and socially monolithic population. The cultural, social, and economic situations of the elderly simply differ too greatly and the family's role in their care is affected by important cultural and social factors. In Who Will Care for Us? Ronald J. and Jacqueline L. Angel argue that policies based on the assumption of a homogenous population will fail to take advantage of the opportunities that ethnic and cultural diversity offer for the long-term care of the elderly. The authors examine the great racial and ethnic diversity among the elderly in the contemporary U.S. in terms of living arrangements, economic well-being, and reliance on formal and family-based sources of support. Based on their assessments of the levels of need for long-term care among black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white older persons, they offer viable and attractive possible alternatives to institutionalization in the long-term care of the elderly.

Retooling for an Aging America

Retooling for an Aging America PDF

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2008-08-27

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 0309131952

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.

Providing Healthy and Safe Foods As We Age

Providing Healthy and Safe Foods As We Age PDF

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-11-29

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0309158834

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Does a longer life mean a healthier life? The number of adults over 65 in the United States is growing, but many may not be aware that they are at greater risk from foodborne diseases and their nutritional needs change as they age. The IOM's Food Forum held a workshop October 29-30, 2009, to discuss food safety and nutrition concerns for older adults.

Families Caring for an Aging America

Families Caring for an Aging America PDF

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-11-08

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 0309448093

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life

Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-10-16

Total Pages: 753

ISBN-13: 0309092116

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In their later years, Americans of different racial and ethnic backgrounds are not in equally good-or equally poor-health. There is wide variation, but on average older Whites are healthier than older Blacks and tend to outlive them. But Whites tend to be in poorer health than Hispanics and Asian Americans. This volume documents the differentials and considers possible explanations. Selection processes play a role: selective migration, for instance, or selective survival to advanced ages. Health differentials originate early in life, possibly even before birth, and are affected by events and experiences throughout the life course. Differences in socioeconomic status, risk behavior, social relations, and health care all play a role. Separate chapters consider the contribution of such factors and the biopsychosocial mechanisms that link them to health. This volume provides the empirical evidence for the research agenda provided in the separate report of the Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life.