Table Of ContentInternational Perspectives on Aging 9
Series Editors: Jason L. Powell, Sheying Chen
Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi
Gaynell M. Simpson
Nancy Giunta Editors
The Collective
Spirit of
Aging Across
Cultures
International Perspectives on Aging
Volume 9
Series editors
Jason L. Powell, Preston, Lancashire, UK
Sheying Chen, New York, USA
For furthervolumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/8818
Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi
Gaynell M. Simpson Nancy Giunta
•
Editors
The Collective Spirit
of Aging Across Cultures
123
Editors
Halaevalu F.Ofahengaue Vakalahi NancyGiunta
School ofSocial Work SilbermanSchoolofSocialWorkatHunter
MorganState University College
Baltimore, MD The CityUniversityof New York
USA New York, NY
USA
Gaynell M.Simpson
School ofSocial Work
Universityof Alabama
Tuscaloosa,AL
USA
ISSN 2197-5841 ISSN 2197-585X (electronic)
ISBN 978-94-017-8593-8 ISBN 978-94-017-8594-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8594-5
Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New YorkLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2014930186
(cid:2)SpringerScience+BusinessMediaDordrecht2014
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To all of my earthly angels who carried
me to this place and to my spiritual
ancestors may your ‘‘truth’’ be witness
in my future generation of nephews and
nieces—Kirsten G. Simpson-Winston
and Alex Seddon
—Gaynell M. Simpson
To my grandparents and parents, whose
shoulders I stand on as they supported my
aspirationforeducationbeyondtheirown;to
mypartnerBill,whosesupportinthisfleeting
journey of life is beyond measure; and
finally, to my siblings, nieces, and nephews
who embody the optimism I have for the
future
—Nancy Giunta
ToMomandDad—I thankGodevery dayfor
you, for your constant inspiration, and life
examples of the collective meaning of ‘‘living
well’’ which you have instilled in me and my
siblings as an existence that only occurs
when we live our lives inclusive of others. To
all of my elders from across so many cultures
and communities in which I’ve lived, I thank
God for you and your investment of your
wisdom in me, may your legacies live on for
generations to come
—Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi
Foreword
Givenmycommitmenttothestudyofaginganddiversity,itistrulyanhonortobe
invited to write the foreword for this extraordinary and innovative book that
focuses on aging and old age from varied perspectives and gives voice to people
who have been overlooked in the past. The underlying premise of this text is that
integrating a chorus of voices will enrich readers’ knowledge, understanding, and
practices by highlighting the commonalities and differences across diverse
segments of the older population in the contemporary United States.
As the distinguished contributors to the volume have demonstrated, different
elementsofdiversity—suchasgender,raceorethnicity,religiousaffiliation,social
class, community location, and sexual orientation—are not independent of one
another. In day-to-day life, as well as within institutions, each of these elements
interacts with the others and adds to the complexity of individual and collective
experiences in our society. Focusing on just one element of diversity in isolation
cancreateaninaccurateandincompletepictureoflivedrealities.Theintersections
between social categories create a complex and dynamic set of experiences,
strengths, and challenges for individuals and social groups which may be
completely missed if we focus our analysis and practices on a single social
category (such as race or age only). Considering the experiences of older adults
through a more complex and intersectional perspective, as is illustrated in the
chaptersthatfollow,hasthepotentialtodeepenreaders’understandingofdiverse
elders and strengthen interventions for these populations.
Instead of reinforcing the ‘‘multiple jeopardy’’ perspective, this book empha-
sizesstrengthsandresources,aswellaschallengesfacingolderpopulations.Tobe
sure,itisessentialtorecognizetheproblemsfacedbythosecopingwiththeeffects
of disadvantaged status. But, it is equally important for the readers to develop an
understandingandappreciationofhowdiverseelderscreatemeaningintheirlives,
how they draw upon their past experiences, cultural traditions, and values, and
howtheydemonstrateresilienceandstrengthsinaddressingbarrierssuchasthose
based on gender, race, class, sexual orientation, and other social identities. Thus,
reading the large variety of chapters included in this timely book will deepen
readers’ understanding of aging and old age in our pluralistic society and this, in
turn, would influence the research they undertake, the programs they design, and
the services they provide forolderadults fromdiverse ethnic andculturalgroups.
vii
viii Foreword
Another strength of this volume is that the contributors have taken a
multidisciplinary approach to the study of aging and diversity. This approach is
indeedconsistentwithgerontology’sfocusonbiological,psychological,andsocial
aspects of aging. Today’s gerontologists include researchers, instructors, and
practitioners in such diverse fields as biology, medicine, nursing, dentistry, social
work, physical therapy, sociology, psychology, economics, physical science,
pharmacy, architecture, and anthropology. Given their commitment to teaching,
research,andservice,scholarsfromthesedisciplineswouldbenefitfromengaging
with the ideas that the authors have presented in their chapters. Having reviewed
these chapters, it is my assessment that this book would be of interest to a wide
range of audiences such as social service providers, health professionals, policy
makers,facultymembers,andstudentsinterestedinaginganddiversity.Theywill
find that the book includes relevant topics, incorporates current research and
scholarship,andpresentsthematerialinaneasy-to-understandlanguageandstyle.
Reading the Collective Spirit of Aging Across Cultures and listening to the
voicesofthecontributorswhothemselvesrepresentdifferentelementsofdiversity
and bring varied viewpoints islikelyto yieldnew insights, create a unique fusion
ofhorizons,andprovidenewlensesthroughwhichtoviewmultiplesocialworlds
that exist within our communities and/or places of work. The editors and the
contributors hope that providing multiple perspectives can help illuminate
significantaspectsofsocialrealityandexperiencethatmayhavebeenoverlooked
in the past.
Congratulations to the editors and the chapter authors for writing a book that
students,faculty,serviceproviders,andotherprofessionalswillwanttokeepclose
at hand for regular consultation and use. If this book helps generate new research
and affects how diverse elders are viewed and served, it will have achieved its
purpose.
Chandra M. Mehrotra
ChandraM.Mehrotraisaprofessorofpsychologyanddeanofspecial projects at
the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. He is a fellow of the
American Psychological Association (APA) and the Gerontological Society of
America(GSA).HereceivedthementorawardfromAPADivision20in2003and
Outstanding Mentorship Award from the GSA Task Force on Minority Aging in
2011.WithsupportprovidedbytheNationalInstituteonAging,andtheOfficeof
Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health and the
John A. Hartford Foundation, he directs faculty training programs in aging
research.
Care
Mistreatment
Mental Health
Context
Aging Health
Intimacy& Sex
Spirituality
Technology
Contents
4th Generational Theories of Intersection: Multicultural Aging. . . . . . 1
Gaynell M. Simpson, Nancy Giunta
and Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi
A Historical Perspective in Aging and Gerontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Patsy R. Smith
The Fourth Hill of Life: American Indian/Alaska Native Elders. . . . . 29
Priscilla A. Day
Aging and Mistreatment: Victimization of Older Adults
in the United States. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Pamela B. Teaster, Debra A. Harley and Amani Kettaneh
LATIN@ ELDERS: Securing Healthy Aging Inspite
of Health and Mental Health Disparities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Catherine K. Medina and Lirio K. Negroni
Aging, Intimacy, and Sex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Nancy Giunta and Stephanie A. Jacobson
The Effects of Minority and Immigration Status on Elderly Health:
A Community Social Capital Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Qingwen Xu and Yan Du
A Profile of Rural African American Lesbian Elders:
Meeting Their Needs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Debra A. Harley, Kim L. Stansbury, Marva Nelson
and Christina T. Espinosa
Intergenerational Dynamics Related to Aging and Eldercare
in Asian American Families: Promoting Access to Services. . . . . . . . . 157
Suzie S. Weng and Jacqueline Robinson
xi
xii Contents
Seeing the Social in Technology for Older Adults:
Making the Implicit Explicit Through a Multidisciplinary Lens . . . . . 173
Clara Berridge
Health Promotion for African American Elders:
Church is the Likely Place. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Cheryl Waites, Angela Kaiser and Fayetta Martin
City Life: What a Wonderful Way of Life—Aging
in the Urban Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Kimberly Yancey, Tamika Baldwin, Ama R. Saran
and Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi
A Call to Action: Dementia Screening of Alzheimer’s Disease
in Older African Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Sheila Black and Gaynell M. Simpson
Reworking the Template: The Financial Crisis and Housing
Transitions of Older Americans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Tam Perry
Understanding the Human-Animal Bond: Implications
for Practice with Community-Living Older Adults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Ann M. Callahan and Regina Brotherton
Summary and Future Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Nancy Giunta, Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi
and Gaynell M. Simpson
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
