Preparing for Our Golden Years

BY KIM BIANCO MAJERI ON BEHALF OF THE NAD-DSA TASK FORCE ON AGING

The number of Americans that are 65 years old or older is expected to nearly double from 52 million people in 2018 to 95 million in 2060. By 2030, people aged 65 or older will be 20% of the population. Life expectancy has increased from age 68 in 1950 to age 79 in 2017 and continues to increase. Currently, there are approximately 78 million people in the “Boomer” generation and 83 million people in the “Millennial” generation.

With waves of people getting older and living longer, our thoughts often turn to issues facing our Deaf Seniors population. One of the greatest challenges facing Deaf people is access. Access to healthcare, access to facilities, access to communication and access to information.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and Deaf Seniors of America (DSA) formed a Task Force on Aging workgroup as a result of a motion proposed at the 2018 NAD Conference that became one of the top priorities for the NAD to work on during 2018-2020. The task force is comprised of people from the NAD, DSA, Gallaudet University, Council de Manos, and Deaf Women United.

NAD-DSA Task Force on Aging: Priorities The task force identified three priorities: a) update our online senior resources, b) develop three checklists, and c) update our lists of range of housing choices such as assisted living, nursing homes, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) apartments and so on.

A. Online senior resources We have an online webpage dedicated to a list of resources for deaf senior citizens – it is currently being revamped: nad.org/seniors/senior-resources. This page will be an on-going project, with information updated as we receive it.

B. Checklists After much discussion and research, the task force decided to develop three checklists to support the decision-making process in preparing for the future:

1. Personal – “All About Me,” helps deaf seniors gather all of the important information and documents and recommends keeping them in one place. Oftentimes people keep important documents in different locations and they do not write down where they put them. This checklist may also assist you in determining if you are missing any items, as you read through the list.

2. Access to Living Spaces – “Residential Facilities,” lists accessibility considerations to keep in mind when considering moving to a skilled care or assisted living facility, or in staying in your own home. It allows a person to evaluate whether that facility is an appropriate fit.

3. Caregivers – lists some of the expected duties and qualities of a caregiver. This checklist may be used to help determine if you or a loved one needs a caregiver and can assist in the interviewing process. The checklist also can serve as a guide to someone who may wish to become a caregiver. There is also information on training requirements for becoming caregivers in individual states.

The three checklists are available online in American Sign Language (ASL) via video clipsand can be downloaded as a PDF: nad.org/seniors/checklists.

C. Housing Resources The task force developed a survey to gather information about Deaf seniors’ current residency, quality of life, decision-making about caregiving ( or senior facilities), and access to healthcare. We will use responses from the survey to update the housing resource list. If you or someone you know is 50 years old (and older), please take this survey at nad.org/seniors.

NAD-DSA Task Force on Aging: Progress The task force co-hosted a forum with the National Association of State Agencies for the Deaf and hard of hearing (NASADHH) at the 2019 Deaf Seniors of America conference. At this forum, we learned there is a great need for more access to housing and healthcare, more information on caregiving, and more information on how to better prepare ourselves as we get older.

The NAD, with the assistance of the task force, entered into an agreement to work with the Deaf Health Communication and Quality of Life Center (DHCQoL) at Gallaudet on two grant projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (Poorna Kushalnagar, Principal Investigator). These projects will focus on 1) health/quality of life among deaf individuals who care for persons with dementia/ Alzheimer’s Disease and 2) mid-to-older women’s health outcomes. As part of this agreement, NAD, with the task force, will be responsible for creating and disseminating ASL videos about caregiving and mid-to-older women’s health. NAD and DHCQoL/ Gallaudet will work together to lead the stakeholder group on improving resources and accessibility for deaf caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

All survey findings will be shared at the 2020 NAD Conference and the 2021 DSA Conference. The information and reports will be made available to you and your community. These may be used to develop plans to strengthen existing programs, apply for new grants, provide additional training, and to push legislators to support laws to ensure that needed services are available and accessible to Deaf Seniors.

Kim Bianco Majeri is the State Legislative Affairs Coordinator at the NAD.

FURTHER READING census.gov Search “The Baby Boom Cohort in the United States: 2012 to 2060.” fool.com Search “9 Baby-Boomer Statistics That Will Blow You Away.” pewsocialstrends.org Search “Millennial Life: How Young Adulthood Today Compares with Prior Generations.”