Memory Care Diverse Communities The Need for Action & Resources
Hispanic Seniors Challenges Faced • Senior living facilities for our elderly population are not part of our culture (a) • Transition or acceptance to seek for senior living facility entails a Catharsis or a Family Drama (family members caregivers tend to think that no one will take better care of their loved ones than themselves). Serious lack of trust among minorities in outsiders to care for their loved ones (b) • We want our loved ones to be treated with dignity and respect to their different religious beliefs, whatever they may be. We want staff that can speak our language, in this case Spanish (c) (d) • Culturally sensitive Menus - Hispanic seniors come from different countries with a broad variety of foods and flavors (e)
Hispanic Seniors Social Security Facts • Both White & Black Americans, if they worked most of their lives, rely on pension plans, retirement savings, personal wealth or social security; – 41 % of White Americans and 39% of Black Americans rely on a pension plan in addition to Soc. Security
• In contrast, less than 19% of Hispanics receive benefits from pensions, or personal wealth, relying mostly on their social security if eligible, with many lacking retirement benefits. • 91 % of White and 85% of Black American seniors receive social security, meanwhile about 75% of older Hispanics receive social security. – Many never got a SSN on their name because of their legal status, while others did not work enough to accumulate the amount of income during employment covered by social security of at least 10 years. Others are foreign born, and are not eligible to receive social security.
High Cost of Senior Living Communities/ Challenges Faced • According to the Argentum Report, the average senior, 75 and older, spends around $28,000 on housing, food, transportation, and other expenses. • National Annual cost of a 1 bedroom apartment in assisted living is $43,200 (Genworth Cost of Care Survey), while the Annual Cost of 1 bedroom in a private nursing home is $91,250 • Average Annual income of Hispanics on Social Security is $14,626 for Men & $11,172 for Women – Living below the poverty line, they have no money to save • The average social security benefit is $1,360 a month for most Americans, including White and Black Americans, equating an Annual income of $16, 320 • It is almost impossible for a Hispanic Senior who mostly rely on his/her social security to cover their housing expenses. The numbers just do not add up, something MUST be done.
LGBT Community Seniors • As a general rule, retirement communities do not allow unmarried couples to live together, making it very hard for couples that are members of the LGBT community to live in these facilities • LGBT seniors live with the fear of rejection and discrimination (due to the fact that they came out when homosexuality was widely rejected or misunderstood). Older lesbians do not have immediate family, and are usually mistreated or treated as a woman with no regard for her feelings and sexual orientation. Many choose to stay home because they are afraid of what they might find in senior homes.
LGBT Community Seniors • A 2014 study by the Equal Rights Center found that almost half of same – sex couples faced “adverse treatment” when searching for senior housing. • There are between 1.5 and 3 million LGBT people over 65 in the U.S. A community facing higher rates of poverty, poorer physical and mental health, feeling isolated & rejected by their own families in the case of many Hispanic seniors who are condemn for their behavior and sexual orientation
Note: There are about 10 LGBT senior facilities in the U.S., with several under construction, including Mary’s House in Washington, DC