Global Gender Inequality, Older Women, and the Call for Change in the United States.

Gender inequality that persists through much of their lives, from birth through adulthood, impacts women and their quality of life in their later years. With some variation this holds true in every nation in the global community. In older adults, the most apparent indication of gender inequality-and a linchpin-is the disproportionate impoverishment of older women compared to older men.

Women's employment, work-life balance policies, and inequality across the life course: a comparative analysis of Japan, Sweden and the United States.

We draw from a number of theoretical perspectives and frameworks on the life course, age and gender scholarship to argue their value in furthering critical discussions on work-life balance policies and their contributions to women's employment and economic security in later life. Using OECD and other big data sets, we examine the patterns of women's employment over the life course in Japan, Sweden and the United States, as three illustrated cases of welfare states with different nation's work-life balance policies. We summarize findings before offering concluding thoughts to advocate for women's security in later life.

Neighborhood Social Cohesion and the Health of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Older Adults.

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI) older adults experience various social and health challenges. There is a growing literature linking neighborhood conditions with health, yet few have focused on NHPI older adults. This study examines associations between neighborhood social cohesion and health outcomes (i.

Developing a culturally responsive dementia storybook with Native Hawaiian youth.

Similar to the nation's majority and racial/ethnic minority populations, Native Hawaiian families provide the bulk of care to loved ones with dementia. Limited research has focused on youth caregivers, who are largely invisible to the eldercare service system. This knowledge gap is especially critical for Native Hawaiians who place a high value on eldercare, often provided in multigenerational homes.

Examining Long-Term Service and Support Needs and Preferences of Native Hawaiian Elders: A Mixed-Method Approach.

The Native Hawaiian population experiences numerous disparities in health and income. Using a mixed-method research (MMR) design, we summarize findings from three phases of an MMR approach used to uncover kūpuna (elder) long-term service and support (LTSS) needs and care preferences. Key informants in Hawaiian health were interviewed, secondary analyses of large state data sets were conducted, and kūpuna and "ohana (family) caregivers were engaged in listening sessions.

United States Indigenous Populations and Dementia: Is There a Case for Culture-based Psychosocial Interventions?

Dementia is an issue of increasing importance in indigenous populations in the United States. We begin by discussing what is known about dementia prevalence and elder family caregiving in American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations. We briefly highlight examples of culture-based programming developed to address a number of chronic diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect these communities.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Elders: What Gerontologists Should Know.

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI) experience significant health disparities compared with other racial groups in the United States. Lower life expectancy has resulted in small proportions of elders in the population distribution of NHOPI, yet the number of NHOPI elders is growing. This article presents data on NHOPI elders and discusses possible reasons for continuing health disparities, including historical trauma, discrimination, changing lifestyle, and cultural values.

Listening to the voices of native Hawaiian elders and ‘ohana caregivers: discussions on aging, health, and care preferences.

Native Hawaiians, the indigenous people of Hawai’i, are affected by varying social and health disparities that result in high prevalence of chronic disease, early onset of disability, and shorter life expectancy compared to other ethnic groups in Hawai’i. Six listening meetings were conducted, involving 41 community-dwelling kūpuna (Native Hawaiian elders) and ‘ohana (family) caregivers to investigate health and care preferences that offer the potential for improving well-being in later life for Native Hawaiian elders. As background, we provide three explanatory perspectives and theories—life course perspective, minority stress theory, and historical trauma—that guided the design of this study and provided the study’s context.

Why Are Native Hawaiians Underrepresented in Hawai'i's Older Adult Population? Exploring Social and Behavioral Factors of Longevity.

Native Hawaiians comprise 24.3% of Hawai'i's population, but only 12.6% of the state's older adults.

Eldercare in a Filipino community: older women's attitudes toward caregiving and service use.

Focus group research on elderly Filipino women living in the United States yields preliminary findings regarding their attitudes toward caregiving and formal service use. Filipino cultural values and the economic challenges attributed to their immigration status were perceived to be the greatest strengths and challenges in caring for the aged. Results identify generally positive attitudes toward formal service use and governmental assistance.

Using a community-based participatory approach to create a resource center for Native Hawaiian elders.

Context: Historically, Native Hawaiian elders have been recognized as the major sources of wisdom and transmitters of knowledge and training to younger generations. Yet, concerns exist today for these elders who experience shorter life expectancies, poorer health and greater disability than elders in other ethnic groups in Hawai;i.

Objective: We describe Hā Kūpuna: National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, established at the University of Hawaii to address disparate health and improve the access and delivery of services to these elders.

Immigration and the direct long-term care workforce: implications for education and policy.

The escalating demand for trained direct long-term care (DLTC) workers, those individuals with the most sustained direct contact with vulnerable older adults in homes and facilities, is a consequence of our rapidly aging population. Research documents the present and projected shortages of DLTC workers, and developed nations are increasingly turning to immigrant women to fulfill these workforce needs. The authors identify international trends that influence the availability of these workers.

Filipinas as residential long-term care providers: influence of cultural values, structural inequity, and immigrant status on choosing this work.

This exploratory study investigated reasons why Filipinas in Hawai'i have become the primary caregivers of elders in residential care homes and if they thought their children would follow them in this profession. A random sample of 173 Filipina care home operators (CHO), of which 95% were first-generation immigrants, was interviewed using telephone survey methods. Data were collected: to profile caregivers; to identify motivations for becoming a care home operator; and to gauge if they or their children would continue in this line of work.

Developing a multisite project in geriatric and/or gerontological education with emphases in interdisciplinary practice and cultural competence.

Purpose: This 2-year, multisite, curriculum-development project aimed to increase the pool of professionals trained in geriatric and/or gerontological social work.

Design And Methods: Our methods included (a) providing advanced training in aging, cultural competence, and interdisciplinary practice to social work professionals and masters degree students, (b) developing, implementing, and testing an innovative student curriculum based on standardized learning competencies identified by project participants, (c) revising the university curriculum to support such competencies, and (d) producing a practicum handbook.

Results: The project achieved its out-comes.