Normal Aging and the Multicultural Population

ABSTRACT

This article documents the dramatic increase expected in the number of people over 65 years of age who will be living in the United States during the first half of the 21st century and describes how the age, health, and ethnic differences of this expanding group will comprise an extremely heterogeneous subpopulation. Differences in how aging and the health problems that accompany it may be viewed are discussed in terms of cultural influences and traditions. It is suggested that such differences in a growing segment of the population that is likely to have increasing needs for speech-language pathology services in the years ahead could pose significant challenges for the profession.

KEY WORDS

ethnic background - cultural factors - support systems