看护是美国西班牙裔社区关注的问题.S. ages faster

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从阿兰达还是个小女孩的时候起，照顾就成了她生活的一部分María, when her Puerto Rican grandmother and namesake lived with her family in the Los Angeles area. She remembers watching her mother and other family members care for her grandmother for years before she died of heart disease.

"Ever since, 我发现自己总是喜欢和老年人一起工作," said Aranda, executive director of the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She and her sister are now caring for their 91-year-old mother, who also has heart disease.

对于美国的许多西班牙裔/拉丁裔人来说.S.在美国，照顾孩子是家庭生活中很自然的一部分. Among Mexican Americans, for example, 即使在极端情况下，家庭照顾也一直是一种文化规范. However, research suggests that sense of familism may be fading as younger generations become more acculturated or individualistic due to personal circumstances such as work obligations.

Ensuring caretakers and recipients of care have the resources they need is a concern: A recent census report 显示西班牙裔社区的老龄化速度比美国其他地区快.S. population between 2010 and 2020.

2020年，美国的西班牙裔社区.S. reached a median age of 30, up 2.7 years from 2010 and 4.2 years from 2000. 非西班牙裔人口的年龄中位数更大，约为41岁，仅增加了1岁.5 years from 2010.

65岁及以上的西班牙裔成年人数量自2000年以来几乎增加了两倍，达到约4人.9 million in 2020. 到2060年，这一数字预计将翻两番.

“我办公室外面有个牌子，上面写着, 'If aging is not your issue, it soon will be,'" said Adriana Pérez, an associate professor of nursing and the Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

What a Latino caregiver looks like

The U.S. Latino community faces unique challenges when it comes to caring for older family members. 拉丁裔护理人员的平均年龄为43岁, 比其他种族和民族更年轻, according to a National Alliance for Caregiving report. Typically, the person they care for is about 67 years old with more than one medical condition.

Latino caregivers report more financial and personal strain and often have full- or part-time jobs, “因此，兼顾照顾孩子和工作的责任就像走钢丝一样," Aranda said. Many of them are simultaneously caring for children under 18 and thus face the compounded challenges of the "sandwich caregiver."

The challenges mean it's less likely Latino caregivers know what resources are available to help them, Aranda said. The NAC report shows Latinos use the fewest sources of caregiving help or information of any demographic.

"One of the main challenges (for Latino caregivers) is the lack of outreach," Pérez said. 西班牙语的资源并不总是可用的. Lower income and a lower rate of medical insurance 使卫生服务更加遥不可及，她说.

The alphabet soup of programs and services to help older adults and their caregivers are often under-resourced and overwhelmed by the number of people who need care, Pérez said.

Caregivers and dementia

阿兰达说，照顾痴呆症患者可能很费力. That person may be easily agitated and restless or dealing with delusions or hallucinations, she said. These symptoms can be particularly stressful for a family caregiver who's less likely to have the knowledge or training to manage these types of behavior.

Older Latino adults are 1.5 times more likely to have dementia than their white counterparts, according to the 疾病控制和预防中心.

As dementia advances, 这个人失去了执行功能——学习的能力, plan and manage everyday tasks, including decision-making. Caregivers may find themselves with added responsibilities such as decision-making about health care and finances for that person.

The lack of representation in clinical research is another barrier to properly addressing dementia. 阿兰达和psamez是一项研究的合著者 2023 report published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions that showed the Latino community has been severely underrepresented in clinical studies for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias because of inadequate outreach, 包括缺乏资金和双语劳动力.

人口普查数据显示，西班牙裔社区占美国移民总数的近20%.S. population. 然而，他们只占美国教育项目参与者的6%.S.根据2022年的一项研究，美国的临床试验报告了种族数据 《沙巴体育平台点击进入》.

这不仅仅是因为缺乏延伸和更高的未参保率. It's also a result of higher distrust of clinical trials within the Latino community, research shows.

Connection and community

Caregivers and the people they care for will need community bonds as Latinos age more quickly than others, Aranda and Pérez said.

In the 1980s, Aranda founded the first Spanish-speaking support group for families affected by Alzheimer's disease and has developed services 满足他们的临床、社会和资源需求. Caregivers voice their challenges, share advice and techniques, 并了解他们可用的其他资源.

“就像白天黑夜一样，”她说. 护理人员意识到他们并不孤单, 其他人也在经历类似的情况. That is empowering."

Aranda, who also is the Margaret W. Driscoll/Louise M. 南加州大学社会政策与管理克莱文格教授, 目前是否对看护人进行心理教育测试 intervention 为痴呆症患者的家庭照护者提供英语和西班牙语版本.

In Philadelphia, psamez正在进行一项追踪认知健康的研究, 心脏健康和睡眠健康的关系. The Tiempo Juntos study is looking at the effect of regular exercise on Latino people 55 and older who aren't physically active. Group walks and subsequent health checks provide both community and vital information on health outcomes, she said.

In July, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a new model that aims to relieve the strain on unpaid caregivers. Called 指导改善痴呆症体验, 该计划旨在提供护理协调和管理, caregiver education and support, and respite services. Pérez said she hopes GUIDE will focus on diverse populations – the Latino community in particular with the least access to resources.

“为了让我们解决医疗保健中存在的不公平现象, 负担不能只落在拉丁裔科学家或拉丁裔医疗保健提供者身上," Pérez said. “这是每个人的责任."