Exploring Successful Aging Among Foreign-born Latinos and Other Immigrant Groups in Saint Louis, Missouri
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The health and well-being of older and elderly adults in the United States has received increasing attention since the second half of the 20th century. However, immigrants remain an understudied population in gerontological research. This paper is based on an interdisciplinary research study by Drs. Matsuo (Sociology), Willoughby (Psychology), and Hale-Gallardo (Anthropology) that examines physiological, psychological, social, and cultural factors associated with aging for several immigrant populations in Saint Louis (including Eastern Europeans, Asians, South Asians, and Latinos). Based on a quantitative survey interview that includes open-ended questions, the study measures a broad swath of domains such as language competence, ethnic identity and acculturation, perceived discrimination, intergenerational kinship expectations, health care access, and mental health concerns. This paper presents preliminary findings about the unique challenges and opportunities experienced by Latino foreign-born, older adults living in Saint Louis and their own estimations of their health and well-being, as well as what they deem to be the criteria for ?successful aging.? It also presents some of the notable differences in their own experience of aging from other ethnic groups in the region. As Latinos become one of the fastest growing populations in the heartland of the U.S., a better understanding of the variables associated with positive aging experiences of Latinos in Saint Louis, as well as the similarities or differences from the health challenges faced by coexisting ethnic immigrant groups in the city, should enable better future research design on this underexplored topic and help to inform the coordination of health and social services for the diversity of immigrants who reside in the region. www.cambio.missouri.edu/Library/ Keywords: gerontology, elderly immigrants, age discrimination, ethnic discrimination
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.