By Ethnic Media Services<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Meera Kymal<\/a> and Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney<\/a> for Palabra<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2005, Tahera Khalil suffered a heart attack while she and her husband Sabbar were visiting their daughter, Nishrin, in California. Worried that she could not care for her aging parents if they returned to India, Nishrin urged them to remain in San Jose, where she lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tahera and Sabbar stayed, but they did not anticipate the consequences of growing old in a country without universal healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, 18 years later, the Kahlils live in a senior community less than three miles from Nishrin\u2019s home. Sabbar, now 95, suffers from macular degeneration (an eye disease that causes blurred vision) and the side effects of radiation after a bout with cancer. As his eyesight fades, he\u2019s increasingly dependent on Tahera. Sabbar doesn\u2019t yet meet the criteria to receive skilled nursing care, but as his health issues become more complex, the burden on Tahera grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At 88, Tahera recently had a pacemaker fitted but continues to manage the cooking and housework with Nishrin\u2019s help. The Khalils cannot afford private caregivers<\/a>. Nor would they move Sabbar to a nursing home even if he qualifies for it, especially not to one that lacks culturally congruent care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can take care of myself and my husband,\u201d says Tahera steadfastly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many immigrant families, aging in place in a multigenerational setting is the cultural norm. Nishrin\u2019s abiding commitment to helping her parents is typical of her South Asian roots. But as aging takes its toll on the elderly, family members are left to perform complicated caregiving tasks without support or training, thus placing their own health, finances and well-being at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This trend reflects a nationwide exigency. As more people in the U.S. live longer, a higher prevalence of chronic diseases \u2014 ranging from arthritis and chronic pain to hypertension, diabetes and dementia \u2014 will fuel the demand for support services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Approximately 56 million adults age 65 and older live in the U.S., according to 2021 data from America\u2019s Health Rankings<\/a>, representing just under 17% of the nation\u2019s population. The year 2030 marks a demographic turning point<\/a> for the country; that\u2019s when all baby boomers will be older than 65. Put another way, one in five Americans will be at retirement age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.S. Census <\/a>predicts this demographic will reach 77 million by 2034, with older adults outnumbering children for the first time in U.S. history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seniors 85 and older \u2014 the group most often needing help with basic personal care \u2014 will more than double between 2020 and 2040, says an Urban Institute<\/a> study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Projections<\/a> show that Latinos age 65 and older (about 4.6 million in 2019) will grow to just under 20 million by 2060, an increase from 9% to 21% of the older U.S. population<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the ethnically diverse, aging population grows, so will the demand for culturally competent services to address their growing healthcare needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the entire story here: https:\/\/www.palabranahj.org\/archive\/to-age-in-place<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nCulturally Congruent Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
America is Graying<\/h2>\n\n\n\n