Changing Aging Demographics in Minority Populations.
Demographic forces that will account for an increase in the older minority population in the future actually differ accordingly for the differing minority groups. However, across the board we will notice an increased aging population because many people are practicing greater preventive healthcare, there is a greater awareness of government assistance and helpful agencies that can enhance quality of life, and seniors are taking part in a greater social connection.
1) Greater preventive healthcare. People are eating a more nutritious diet, exercising or doing more physical activity that strengthens their bodies and makes them less susceptible to illness. More people are visiting their doctors and there are greater medical breakthroughs than there were in previous generations. How often it is that we see seniors walking the malls or exercise classes for seniors in wheelchairs.
2) Government assistance and helpful agencies. We commonly hear of social security and the meals on wheels program, but organizations like AARP offer information on a myriad of additional assistance agencies in which a a senior can receive help that would contribute to their quality of life. By offering information on transportation assistance, exercise, etc. seniors have information that will assist them in living longer.
3) A greater social connection. We’ve always heard that churches offer a sense of belonging to people. Many seniors are joining and taking part in these groups. But outside of churches, seniors are choosing to live in senior centers that encourage a community environment. Seniors are joining dating sites. All of this can cut down on the loneliness and depression that can overtake our aging population. Thus allowing them to live longer lives.
How can libraries and information agencies help address these issues? I believe libraries can become a part of all three areas mentioned. However, we must first of all make ourselves available as a resource. My dream is that libraries offer, among all their other programs, a Senior Resource Center. A place specifically for seniors where they can socialize, take part in programming geared toward their interests, read in large print or with an enhanced reader, and garner information specific to their needs. We must make ourselves an indispensable part of their information solution.
Going back to my opening sentence, the demographic forces affecting aging vary for the differing minority groups. The elder American Indian population, for instance, faces isolation from an urban, informed community. Living on reservations, their lifestyle limits them not only from information, but services that could assist in their longevity. Multigenerational family life common on reservations can possibly be both a benefit and detriment to the American Indian elder. Many Elders find themselves in the role of caregiver to their grandchildren. But their children find themselves in the role of sole supporter for their aging parents. The seniors are surrounded by family – which gives life, but are yet financially strapped and living at a poverty level – which decreases life.
The issues above are not ones that libraries or information agencies can fully solve. We cannot provide financial assistance. We cannot change the status of an Indian reservation, or change a cultural lifestyle or perspective. However, we can help facilitate the movement and impartation of information that may, just may, be the catalyst of some change. Making ourselves available to provide any information, whether it be on a healthier way of life, or on government or helpful programs that would bring about positive assistance, is what we should be about.
My Quest for Universal Access 