African American and Asian American elders: an ethnogeriatric perspective

By 2030, ethnic minority elders are expected to increase by 12%. Research about this highly diverse population is gaining momentum. This chapter summarizes selected research articles published after 1996 on access and utilization of services and resources by African American and Asian American elders. Computerized searches were made using PubMed and CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature) with the following terms used individually or combined: health care, aging, older adults, ethnicity, access, disparities, chronic illness, community health care, health beliefs, health practices, and ethnogeriatrics. Citations for 456 articles on two ethnic groups were retrieved; 155 were reviewed, and 84 citations were used for this chapter. The publications focus on African Americans (45%), Asian Americans (41%), and both groups (14%). Descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional studies dominate the research effort, identifying unmet needs, and a limited number are on culturally appropriate and acceptable interventions. Results are discussed in the context of ethnogeriatrics, and recommendations for future studies are proposed.