Social indicators in black and white: some ethnic considerations in delivery of service to the elderly

A random sample of older persons who contacted the Central Intake Referral and Information Service (CIRIS) of the Houston Areawide Model Project for the Elderly responded to the Social Indicators Index for the Aged. The scores obtained from this instrument were analyzed with respect to ethnicity. Comparisons were made with data from an independent city-wide sample to which the same instrument was administered. When ethnicity was controlled, consistent differences emerged both between the two samples and within each sample. Significant differences found in the CIRIS sample on measures of income, health, and life satisfaction were combined with differences between the two samples to provide indications of cultural factors involved in utilization of services by the elderly. Our findings support other literature which has stressed the necessity of considering ethnic differences in developing theories on aging and in designing and delivering services to the aged--regardless of whether one is dealing with minority or majority individuals.