UMass Boston Study Identifies Critical Lapses in Services for Elderly Asian American Women

By Leigh DuPuy

Elderly Asian American women are missing out on significant health and social services, such as mammograms, depression screening, and domestic violence prevention, due to the limited availability of bicultural and bilingual services, according to researchers at UMass Boston’s Institute for Asian American Studies. In their report “A Survey of Health Services and Identification of Needs for Elderly Asian American Women in the Greater Boston Area,” authors Connie Chan, co-director of the Institute for Asian American Studies, and Lin Zhan, associate professor of adult gerontological nursing, assess the needs of Asian American elders and identify critical gaps in the services currently provided. It is a considerable problem in Massachusetts, where, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, the elderly Asian American population has more than doubled since 1990.

In a survey of over one hundred Asian American and mainstream health care providers in the greater Boston area, Chan and Zhan talked with respondents from seventy agencies who reported they did not provide any special services to Asian American elders. These agencies reported that they had a very small percentage, if any, of Asian American elders in their clientele.

The agencies that do provide specific service reported that they currently offer health care services, social services, home care, and education services to Asian Americans, as well as supplemental services to the elder population, such as transportation services, bilingual staff or translation services, and public health.

However, Asian American agencies report that need for bilingual, bicultural services is far greater than their capacity to provide them. Even when some services are available to a mainstream elder population, Chan and Zhan write, Asian American elderly often do not participate in such programs because of language and cultural barriers.

The authors found Asian American elders are in critical need of social supports and companionship. Up to 80 percent of Asian American elders live alone and are isolated and lonely. Social programs, community outreach, and home visitors are in high demand. Chan and Zhan also identified the pressing need for more affordable housing, congregate housing, and nursing facilities. A deficiency in medical care services, including mental health, for Asian American elderly emphasize the greater need for bicultural and bilingual medical care.

Chan and Zhan found the greatest need among Asian American elderly women for OB/Gyn health care services that include breast cancer screening programs, mammo-grams, and Pap smears. Asian American elderly women also are lacking resources for osteoporosis risk screening, domestic violence prevention and intervention, depression screening and treatment, nutrition counseling, education services, and community support programs.

The authors advocated for an organized collaboration between Asian American service providers and mainstream agencies. Chan and Zhan believe a guidebook or resource guide listing bilingual and bicultural services provided by social service agencies is a critical resource for Asian Americans, as well as all service providers and state agencies. Chan presented a talk based on this research as the 2001-2002 Polly Logan Scholar for the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy on November 20. The full report can be found on www.iaas.umb.edu.

Image: Study co-authors Connie Chan, co-director of the Institute for Asian American Studies, and Lin Zhan, associate professor of adult gerontological nursing. (Photos by Harry Brett)

Go to menu