Minority Elders Continue To Face Health Care, Employment Disparities

The premiere issue of an aging-focused newsletter deals with two pressing societal concerns — the economic downturn and health care reform — from the perspective of older minority adults.

WHAT’S HOT is the newest publication from The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the country’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. Support for this issue was provided by sanofi-aventis.

Based on presentation highlights from GSA’s 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting in November 2009, the first issue ofWHAT’S HOT covers topics such as the impact of the economic crisis on older workers’ health; the perceived prevalence of job discrimination among older workers; and health care utilization patterns among older Asian minorities.

“To fully resolve barriers that minorities face in seeking health care, we need research that is broader than access to care,” said Toni Miles, MD, PhD, of the University of Louisville, who served as an advisor for the issue. “The studies in this newsletter reflect this need. Readers will be enlightened by this collection. As a whole, GSA researchers are a valuable resource for policymakers and should be sought out when seeking effective approaches to reducing health disparities.”

Baby boomers make up a considerable proportion of the adult population among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. A central challenge related to managing the health needs of this age group is that they are approaching a stage of life often marked by increasing prevalence of chronic disease and disability.

Disparities in the provision of and access to health care services in the U.S. have been documented extensively and recognized as an important national problem. Minorities are significantly more likely to have poorer health status and higher death rates from common chronic diseases. 

Visit www.geron.org/WhatsHot to download an electronic version of the newsletter. This website also contains a subscription form to join an online discussion group related to topics addressed in the issue.

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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,200+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch,the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education.

Contact: Todd Kluss
tkluss@geron.org 
(202) 587-2839