Albany County Legislator Dr. Carolyn McLaughlin researched quality of life and elder care and health disparities in upstate New York as part of her doctorate degree.
An essential part of that, she says, was understanding quality of life for Black residents in nursing homes. In speaking with executive directors about the changing demographics in their nursing home, it became clear there is still a lot to learn. The nursing home model was built around a predominantly white homogeneous population, but now more Hispanic, Asian, and African American residents are in nursing homes and may have some different needs.
Another big discussion point within the elder care discussion is ageism. We are all working with people of different ages or generations and its important that the older generation give a positive look at where they are in life. It's about changing "I'm having a senior moment" to "I'm thinking back on all the wisdom that I have acquired over the last few years." Changing the language around ageism will allow the older generation to share that wisdom and share that experience.
When it comes to what we can do for seniors it's essential to look at the financial side of things. How do we help people of age in the place where your home is? First of all, we don't want to tax people out of their homes. And second of all, we want to make sure that they have access to all services that can ensure that they are continuing to live a quality life or hospital services available. Any of those social services that are needed to keep you comfortable in your home - that can be transportation or that can be activities. Research suggests that being isolated or alone could be the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, in terms of the that it can have on you physically and mentally.
You can watch the full interview with Dr. Carolyn McLaughlin in the video above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney — every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.