Multicultural Aging Efforts at APA

The United States — and the world — are aging. The number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to double from 46 million to more than 98 million by 2060. This population is also becoming more diverse. Many assume that older adults are alike. However, as this age group includes five decades of individuals, the differences among older adults are great — actually greater than those seen in other age groups. Older adults comprise a group with diverse characteristics and needs that are often overlooked.

This webpage provides APA resources to promote awareness of multicultural aging and foster competence in working with the rapidly growing and diverse population of older adults.

• African American Older Adults and COVID 19opens in new window
  The primary issues explored during this presentation: (1) prevalent mental health concerns of older African Americans (OAA) during the pandemic: depression, anxiety, race related stress, PTSD, escalating dementia symptoms, social isolation, grief, mourning, (2) tips and strategies for aging and health service providers in their work with OAA: normalizing psychological symptoms, building upon existing resilience, coping skills to help manage emotional distress, health promoting behaviors and self-care (3) the OAA perspective: caring for oneself while supporting one’s community.
  Download:  Webinar resources (PDF, 589KB)opens in new window

• How race-related stress impacts older African Americans
  Service providers in the aging and health-care fields need greater awareness, education, and training to address race-related stress in African American older adults.

• Black Aging Matters: How to Better Address Racism-Related Stress in African American Older Adults Webinaropens in new window (2018)
  Current research, clinical application and first-hand testimonial on the impact of race-related stress on African-American older adults.

• Culturally Diverse Communities and Palliative and End-of-Life Care Fact Sheet (2019)
  This fact sheet highlights how ethnicity and culture influence palliative and end-of-life care, barriers to effective communication, and the role of family in palliative and end-of-life care.

• Facing the Divide (2018)
  A video series designed to bring psychological science to the conversation regarding the connections among race, racism and health.

• Fact Sheet: Age and Socioeconomic Status (PDF, 240KB)opens in new window (2017)
  Describes the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the quality of life of older Americans, nearly 14.6 percent of whom live below official poverty thresholds.

• Integrating Mental Health Care for Diverse Older Adults in Primary Care and Non-traditional Settings Webinaropens in new window (2019)
  Learn integrated care models for serving culturally diverse older adults including assessment and treatment best practices, integrating family effectively in shared decision making, and overcoming time and transportation challenges in accessing care, including primary care.

• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging: A Fact Sheet for Psychologists (2018)
  Provides recommendations for providing effective and ethical treatment for the estimated 5-10 percent of older adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

• Multicultural Aging Resource Guide (2018)
  A summary of research studies and relevant journal articles, books and chapters on mental health and multicultural aging, and organizations dedicated to multicultural aging issues.

• Multicultural Competency in Geropsychology: A Report of the APA Committee on Aging and its Working Group on Multicultural Competency in Geropsychology (2009)
  An exploration of the key issues regarding the infusion of multicultural competence throughout geropsychology, including recommendations for improving one’s multicultural competence in working with older adults.

• Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity and Intersectionality (2017)
  Provides psychologists with a framework from which to consider evolving parameters for the provision of multiculturally competent services.

• Los Adultos Mayores la Salud y Cambios Relacionados con la Edad: Una Imagen de los adultos de más edad y los hechos de hoy en día para ayudar a disipar mitos sobre el envejecimiento (Older Adults’ Health and Age-Related Changes: Reality Versus Myth) (PDF, 283KB)opens in new window (2017)

• A fact sheet which dispels myths about aging and health. Also available in English.

• Memoria y Envejecimiento (Memory and Aging) (PDF, 241KB)opens in new window (2017)
  A fact sheet which outlines normal memory decline associated with aging, possible causes and tips for maintaining and improving memory. 

• Multicultural Caregiving (2017)
  Resources for caregivers of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

• The Work Is Never Done: Mental Health, Mass Incarceration, and African American Custodial Grandparents (2019)
  Discusses the effects mass incarceration can have on African American grandparents raising their grandchildren and how mental health service professionals can provide help.

• A Fate Worse than Death? Being Transgender in Long-term Care (2017)
  Reviews the special considerations required by transgender and nonconforming adults in long term care settings.

• Finding Meaning in Life and in Death: A Call to Culturally Competent Action (2017)
  Highlights the importance of meaning-based palliative care interventions.

• Good News for Bilinguals: Knowing Two or More Languages is Good for Your Brain (2016)
  Describes how speaking two or more languages may also be an important factor that leads to benefits in memory and decision-making in older adults.

• Invisibility Squared: The Challenges of Living as a Transgender Older Adult (2015)
  Discusses how the intersection of older adult and gender nonconforming identities raises issues that are rarely seen or acknowledged.

• Starting a Conversation: How We Can Reduce Health Disparities Among Older Adults (2016)
  Provides a framework for health professionals on how to discuss with their diverse, older patients, challenges they may face regarding the patient’s treatment.

• What Do We Need to Know About the Health of Older LGBT Adults? National Institutes of Health Greenlights New Researchopens in new window (2016)
  Summarizes what existing research tells us about health disparities among older LGBT adults compared to heterosexuals and what the National Institute on Aging is doing to address the gaps.