Washington, DC — The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), the premier national organization working to improve the lives of Hispanic older adults, their families, and caregivers, today celebrates the release of the “Consensus Recommendations for the 2011 Older Americans Act Reauthorization.” This document was crafted by the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO), a 65-member association comprised of the country’s leading aging organizations, including NHCOA:
The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO), a 65-member association comprising the country’s leading aging organizations including the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), released this week its official “Consensus Recommendations for the 2011 Older Americans Act Reauthorization,” which includes eight recommendations specific to racially and ethnically diverse elders, as well as LGBT elders, and older adults with HIV/AIDS.
Scheduled for reauthorization this year, the Older Americans Act (OAA) is considered the country’s leading vehicle for funding and delivering supportive services to older people nationwide. The consensus document, adopted April 6 by LCAO, serves as LCAO’s official guide for policymakers on OAA reauthorization.
“This consensus document is a resounding victory for all aging diverse communities,” said Dr. Yanira Cruz, NHCOA President and CEO. “NHCOA is extremely proud that the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, the Diverse Elders Coalition, and the leaders representing our country’s most important aging organizations are walking in lockstep to ensure that the Older Americans Act acknowledges the unique needs of millions of Hispanic older adults, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. aging population.”
Among these eight specific recommendations (listed below) are recommendations to define “greatest social need” and “minority” in the OAA to explicitly name Hispanic older adults, as well as a recommendation to encourage tracking Latino elders through data collection efforts, project assessments and reporting requirements.
For the last year, NHCOA has also been tirelessly working with the Diverse Elders Coalition to promote federal policy solutions that enhance the quality of life for our country’s diverse aging communities. These LCAO recommendations propose how the OAA can simultaneously support all of the diverse communities represented in this Coalition, which the US Census projects will collectively represent the majority of elders in this country by 2050.
“As the backbone of our nation’s support system for older adults, it is essential that a reauthorized Older Americans Act recognizes and addresses the needs of all elders,” said Sandra Markwood, CEO of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). “The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations’ consensus document brings to the forefront the unique and special needs of an elder population that is growing in both numbers and diversity.”
Racially and Ethnically Diverse and LGBT Elder Recommendations
from the LCAO consensus document on OAA:
The definitions of “minority” status and “greatest social need” in the OAA should explicitly name racially and ethnically diverse groups and LGBT older adults.
The definitions of “greatest social need” in the OAA should explicitly name older adults living with HIV recognizing the growing number of affected seniors and the related health disparities, discrimination and stigma.
The underserved, vulnerable communities of all racial and ethnic groups, as well as, LGBT older adults should be explicitly addressed in the OAA in ways that account for their unique family structures and collective experiences. Terms such as “adult care,” “family,” “family caregiver,” “spouse,” “underserved area,” “vulnerable elder,” and “family violence” should be defined to account for the variety of family and care structures of all racial and ethnic communities, and LGBT communities, which include partners and families of choices, as well as spouses and biological families.
Where appropriate and practical in the OAA, data collection, project assessments and reporting requirements should ensure that racial groups, as well as LGBT older adults, are studied and appropriately served.
The OAA should amend and include provisions that promote cultural and linguistic competence for all racial and ethnic groups, as well as LGBT older adults.
Aging resource centers delineated in the OAA should explicitly address all racial and ethnic groups as well as LGBT older adults.
In provisions that refer to other minority resource centers, the OAA should include and list the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.
Where possible in the OAA, LGBT older adults should be included as a vulnerable population with greatest social need as a result of a lifetime of bigotry, stigma and discrimination.
