Eldercare In The African American Community

In this study, the authors Francine Conway, Carolyn Springer, Carol Magai and Samuel C. Jones analyze the results of optimism and pessimism in grandmothers who are the initial caregivers of their grandchildren. Researchers are trying to find if character traits such as optimism and pessimism have an outcome on the psychological and physical health of grandmothers who take care of their grandchildren. It seems that the intended audience is of an older crowd particularly those interested in studying cases similar to this article or having to do with psychological studies about personality traits. 67 Latino and African American grandmothers who are the essential caretakers for their grandchildren were the participants in this study. These grandmothers

The elderly population have challenges that other ages do not have to face. Elderly face some number situations. These issues arise once people reach a certain age and follow them till the day that they pass on. For example, there are certain health issues that come the age. The African American elderly deals with a lot of issues; ranging from health to financial. But the African American elderly have a big influence on their community. But also, it is very important for the health of the elderly. The relationship can keep the elders’ health and mental health in good standing. The elderly can face many issues as their lives and body grow older. The African American elderly population has significant challenges that they must deal with. To begin with, many have health issues. Some that can be very life threatening. As people get older your body just does not want to work the same way it used to when it was younger. Your body goes through changes. As people get older, the body begins to behave differently.

 The question could be asked, “What needs to be done to change the disparity in hospice use among African Americans?” Hospices' need to begin the process of addressing these longstanding philosophical and cultural challenges.

Cindy Foster is an 83-year-old white female who is seeking services to cope with recent environmental, psychological, and physical changes. She requires assistance with daily living and currently resides with her daughter in Campbellsville, Kentucky. Cindy is a widow and has two children, a son and a daughter, who both live in Campbellsville. She is retired from previous part-time employment, and currently receives public assistance through social security, Medicaid and Medicare. Cindy attends a daily Alzheimer 's respite care facility in Campbellsville, where she has also developed a significant relationship with one of the male clients.

There exist significant racial disparities in nursing home (NH) care quality. Although some improvements have been made in recent years, Blacks are still more likely to receive suboptimal care in this setting, compared to Whites (1). Blacks are also more likely to be admitted to poorer quality NH’s than Whites (2). There also tend to be racial disparities in psychosocial well-being among NH residents, as determined by lower social engagement among Blacks versus Whites (3). These findings are particularly alarming provided that the proportion of Blacks aged 65 and older who live in NH’s has increased dramatically, while the number of Whites in NH’s has declined (4).

Aging Matters is located in the town of Ridgeland, South Carolina, a small, rural region of Jasper County, the southernmost territory in the state. The predominantly African-American community is comprised of families across generations and is rich in historical significance and cultural heritage. Like many destitute communities, Ridgeland is characterized by its historical context, limited social service infrastructures, remote access to resources, and stagnant economic growth. Accessibility to daily needs and conveniences such as grocery stores, health care, and other social supports, requires community members to embrace and support one another in order to manage everyday hindrances and cope with adverse situations. The context of the community,

We can’t purport to have a national goal to “eliminate health disparities” and continue to accept the social inequities that come from such a major gap in wealth. If we hope to solve the pressing issues of eldercare, these inequities must be addressed head on now and in the future. Otherwise, those who are caregivers now may not have access to the care they will need in the future.

He explained that the thought of not working anymore somewhat sadden him as it would anyone else. Yet, he realizes everything happens for a reason so he does not question God’s work. Also, he is thankful that his family was so helpful and supportive both emotionally and financially. Being able to do little things on the side is a good thing as well for him. However, through it all he kept an optimistic outlook on the entire situation.

In the article, Groger shares her experiences from her two-year project which aimed to learn the “African-American’s long-term care preferences and choices”. She started that research with a very systematic recruiting plan to capture a broad range of experiences in “kin care”, “in-home services” and “nursing home” settings; and conducted interviews with the elders and caregivers. Despite the recruitment done through maximum variation sampling method to capture “full range of long-term care needs and the ways to meet these needs among the elders”, she did not achieve it at the end. She discloses that the problems came from “gatekeeper bias”, “refusals to participate”, “sampling frame”, “pragmatic constraints” and “institutional constraints”.

as the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth leading cause of death for individuals age 65 and older. While living with the disease an individual may face years of ill health as the disease progresses over time. Alzheimer’s is a terminal a brain disease that affects an extensive number of Americans. Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia. Although the disease itself can be associated with aging; it is not synonymous with aging (Grossberg & Karmat, 2011). The relevance of the previous statement is significant to African Americans because they tend to associate aging with a decline in memory; hence they are less likely to

Caring for the elderly and disabled has always been a relevant issue among American’s; however, not until recently has it become a significant issue within society. Change has occurred in the past couple decade as the workforce dynamics have transitioned from the family based farm living to the inner city, college educated worker who follows opportunity. Decades ago it was common place to have an aging relative live with the family in a multi-generational home; however, that is no longer a practical option in many cases. Although this transitioning of society has created a new issue and that is providing care to those elderly or disabled members of society who cannot rely on the support of family

In America we have very many ways people deal with their older relatives. Normally people put them in nursing homes or care facilities. I personally believe we should hold our elders in high regard. The older generations have seen and been through a lot of history, and have a lot of wisdom. Those who simply do not care about their older relatives are making a huge mistake.

The demands for informal care are also increasing due to the growth of the oldest old with chronic illnesses, more women finding jobs outside of the home, more complex families that include older relatives living with their adult children, and racial and class inequities. These households may not be able to afford total long-term care and then have to rely on informal caregivers. However, these families then lack the knowledge they need and are unprepared when they are providing informal care. They are not informed on the aging process or any sources available to their older

A variety of long-term care options are available to those who require more assistance. Assisted-living facilities, village concepts, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are all available options for seniors. Living in these residencies may address several other issues such as isolation, transportation, and mobility. These types of facilities focus on providing assistance with daily living activities for the elderly while still allowing them to be independent. Residents also have ample opportunities to socialize in common spaces such as dining rooms and living rooms. However, these facilities are often expensive and must be paid for privately. As a result, the option for living in these helping facilities may be out of reach for the elderly with a fixed income (Hash, Jurkowski, & Krout, 2015). Without these residential facilities as an option, aging adults with lower incomes who must remain in their homes may face challenges related to their health, mobility, and

Although this op-ed was written a while back I think the authors should have added more static to better state the point as to why family members should be entrusted with the well-care of the elderly individual. The author also fails to address the percentage of the elderly population who benefit for “institutionalization verse in-home care (Smyer&Plantz)”. C)