International Examiner , Commentary, Christine Takada, Posted: Apr 05, 2013
Photo: Andrelina “Elna” Orbeta, 79, works helping seniors who phone a Seattle nonprofit. She is among the elders NAPCA has given employment training and job placed under the federal SCSEP program, which is facing deeper cuts.
SEATTLE, Wash.–Based on the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) elders (age 65 and older), is projected to grow by more than 350 percent from 1.6 million to 7.3 million individuals by 2060, making AAPI older adults the fastest-growing population among this age range.
Eighty five percent of AAPI ages 65 or more are foreign-born, and in many AAPI subgroups, limited English proficiency rates are as high as 89 percent, posing very real risks of isolation and a challenge for accessing critical information.
Higher Poverty Rates
While poverty rates among older adults average 8 percent among whites, in certain AAPI subgroups, they range from 21 to 26 percent — well over two or three times the rate of white Americans. Also, in certain AAPI subgroups, rates for those without health insurance are as high as 19 percent, compared to 15 percent of the total population.
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