May 5. 2010
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Aging Elders Present New Problems
by
F red M iller
An average male in one o f the
poorest countries in the world,
Bangladesh, has a better chance of
reaching the age of 65 than an Afri
can American male living in Harlem.
Currently the death rate among Af
rican Americans is similar to that of
European Americans 30 years ago,
and low birth weights continue to
plague African American mothers.
While overall health in the United
States has improved, key health
goals among African Americans
have remained stagnant or steadily
worsened, highlighting the impor
tance o f recognizing racism as an
important factor to be included in
discussions o f health disparities.
And this problem may only get
worse as the nation ’ s African Ameri
can population ages, compounding
the problems of old age with existing
health disparities. The fastest grow
ing segment o f the population in the
United States are elders 85 years or
older. During the last three decades,
this group - the oldest old - has
doubled in size while the general
population increased by about 45
percent. Some estimate that in the
next 40 years, older adults aged 85 or
more will represent nearly one-fourth
o f the elderly population and about 5
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percent of all Americans.
The elderly African American
populations will more than triple be
tween the years 1990 to 2050. Those
seniors 85 or older are at the greatest
risk for chronic illness, have the most
functional dependency on others for
caregiving, and have the greatest
needs for health and social services.
Another unfortunate aspect of
increased aging is an increase in the
onset o f memory problems such as
dementia. Some studies reveal that
the prevalence o f dementia is al
most 50 percent for adults aged 85
and above. Dementia refers to the
collection of diseases or conditions
that cause global, progressive im
pairment in several areas o f cogni
tive function including memory.
Alzheimer’s disease represents 70
percent o f the cases o f dementia in
most industrialized countries and is
the fourth most common cause o f
mortality in older Americans.
To make matters worse, some
studies indicate that Alzheimer’s
disease is more prevalent among
African Americans. Low levels o f
education, high cholesterol, high
blood pressure and diabetes, com
mon conditions among African
American elders, may also be sig
nificant risk factors for dementia
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d ise ase.
Alzheimer’s disease tends to have a
gradual, slow onset, first affecting
memory, but eventually impairing
other cognitive abilities such as judg
ment and insight.
Early treatment can help alleviate
some o f the memory symptoms, but
for too many African Americans,
effective treatment is limited because
this condition tends to be diagnosed
at a later stage.
Currently there are more patients
with memory problems in nursing
homes in the United States than in
all the acute and chronic hospitals
combined.
Research is needed to better un
derstand the unique and various
needs o f African Americans elders
is needed if culturally competent
services are valued.
While most researchers share the
belief that effective treatments for
conditions such as Alzheimer’s dis
ease are possible within most o f our
lifetimes. 1 trust that these effective
treatments include the unique psy
chological and biological functions
shared among those o f color.
Fred Miller is Director o f the
African American Dementia & Ag
ing Project at Oregon Health Sci
ence University’
Page A5
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