The Future of Ethnogeriatrics

Gwen Yeo, Christina L. Bell, Lauren Okamoto, and Kala Mehta

Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.

— Niels Bohr

The future ain’t what it used to be.

— Yogi Berra

Introduction

Although predictions of the future are usually difficult and frequently temporary, it is relatively safe to assume that the future will see growing importance of the field of ethnogeriatrics. As healthcare institutions attempt to cope with the rapidly growing older population in the context of the growing hyperdiversity of populations with which they are faced [1] , there seems little doubt that issues discussed in the previous chapters of this volume become increasingly salient for providers, planners, patients, and families.

Demographics

As mentioned in Chap. 2, a major driver for the development of the field of ethnogeriatrics is our Ethnogeriatric Imperative, reflecting the impact of the growing ethnic and racial diversity of the older populations in the United States (US) on the

G. Yeo, Ph.D., A.G.S.F. (*)

Stanford Geriatric Education Center, Stanford University School of Medicine,

Stanford , CA , USA

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C.L. Bell, M.D., Ph.D.

Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, University of Hawaii Department of Geriatric Medicine, USA L. Okamoto, M.D.

University of Hawaii Department of Geriatric Medicine , USA

K. Mehta, D.Sc.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, USA © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017

L. Cummings-Vaughn, D.M. Cruz-Oliver (eds.), Ethnogeriatrics, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-16558-5_15

need and delivery of healthcare. Recent census projections are allowing us to expand our vision of what the Ethnogeriatric Imperative will continue to look like through 2060 [2]. Drawing on estimates of net international immigration and projected birth and death rates, the Census Bureau asserts that, “Over the next four decades, the United States is expected to experience rapid growth in its older population and a large increase in racial and ethnic diversity.” [3 , p. 1]. The combination of those trends then will result in an increasing need for the field of ethnogeriatrics and an expanded importance of providers’ skills in ethnogeriatric care.