Essay On The New Vision Foundation

IntroductionThe purpose of this study is to prevent isolation and unnecessary functional decline among Korean and Chinese older adults by enhancing their social, physical and mental well being through promotion of social interaction and healthy living. The Turner Senior Resource Center, located in Ann Arbor of Michigan, is a community outreach program of the University of Michigan Health System Geriatrics Center. The center recognizes that cultural and ethnic diversity is important for effective programs, so the center is trying to adapt to the unique needs of minority individuals through its Asian Outreach Program. Currently, the center severs two major Asian groups: Chinese and Korean. ...view middle of the document...

Asian Americans have come to the United States from over 20 countries, represent more than 60 different ethnicities, and speak a multitude of languages. Therefore, various Asian languages make it difficult for Asian American seniors to have access to center-based services and programs. The inability to communicate in English also limits the elders’ access to obtain services and necessary information so they often don’t know what’s available for them and miss much good information. Many studies show that the majority of Asian American seniors have a limited English proficiency. According to the 2000 Census, In California 72% or three out of four speak English “not-well” or “not at all.” Also, In the New York metropolitan areas where the third-largest Asian elderly populations in a major U.S. metropolitan area live 100,253; almost 3 out of 4 Asian seniors have limited English ability.
Literature ReviewKim (2004) researched the deficiency of the US health care system for foreign-born Americans. The study examined the opinions and perceptions of foreign-born Korean Americans’ encounters with health care providers in Korea town in Los Angeles. The study reported that since 1980, the number of Koreans in the United States has grown over 300%. Today, there are over one million Koreans in America. Of these people, about 25% live in California’s Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County area. In Los Angeles and Orange Counties, a majority of Koreans face cultural and linguistic barriers that impede access to health care. Also, minorities face disadvantages in receiving health care because prejudices still persist in the American health care system. To find out the barriers between the patients and health care organizations, twelve Korean immigrant adults participated and were asked a series of eleven sets of open-ended questions about patients’ interactions with physicians, interactions with other staff, and the physical environment of Health Care Organization (HCO). Three important findings include the following: 1) many participants expressed concern for the lack of cultural understanding by medical staff and physicians, 2) they appreciated doctors who attempted to make personal connections with patients, and 3) some were dissatisfied with discrimination based on insurance status. The results indicate that patients face cultural barriers in addition to linguistic ones. With the increasing number of different minority groups in America, the study empathize the importance of sensitiveness to their different cultural and linguistic needs of a population that is increasingly diverse.
Namkee G. Choi (2001) researched Asian Americans especially elderly people, who experience multiple stressors affecting their quality of life. The author discusses barriers to formal service utilization as well as strengths and deficits of informal support systems. The author points out that a linguistic barrier is the major problem to Asian American seniors receiving soc...