Addressing Health Challenges in Elderly Asian Immigrant Populations

Guest blogger: Veronica Staneck, law student, University of San Francisco

Immigrants in the United States undeniably face significant hurdles. Aside from the procedurally daunting task of getting here and gaining status, health is another great barrier. This is by no means a recent discovery, but what deserves more attention in the health disparity conversation is the underrepresentation of aging Asian immigrants.

One of the common scenarios where older people immigrate here from an Asian country is when their U.S. citizen children petition them, and something they tend bring with them to the United States is the idea that they do not want to be a burden and end up spending most of their time alone. And even sadder is when their westernized children focus on their hard-earned jobs or adopt different values, which can result in isolation from their parents. Regardless of how it comes about, this feeling of isolation is pervasive among elderly Asian immigrant communities and can be detrimental to their health.

A 2020 study showed that almost one-third of Asian immigrants suffer from noticeable depressive symptoms that interfere with their daily life and functioning. The participants of this particular study were recruited from community settings, which have been shown to have lower rates of moderate to severe depression compared to clinical settings, which means the number of Asian immigrants suffering from depressive symptoms could very well be higher than this. And this problem is only magnified by the issues faced by elderly Asian immigrants, such as the language barrier, lack of access to or knowledge of technology, and the negative perception and fear of societal consequences for seeking help that is very much culturally rooted. Because of this, engaging older Asian immigrants in mental health care is challenging.  

For these reasons, it is important to start off by bringing mental health care to them instead of fully expecting them to seek it out on their own. A 2021 study mentioned that minority patients are more likely to seek care from a primary care provider over a mental health specialist, so it would be beneficial for mental health care to be in the primary care setting. This is where the many benefits of collaborative care come into play. This interdisciplinary approach to healthcare increases the quality of care by consolidating services, thus taking the magnifying glass off just the mental health issue. This may lessen the anxiety of someone who would feel uncomfortable only seeking out mental healthcare out of the fear of being perceived negatively by their community.

Additionally, culturally specific healthcare is massively important in ensuring the wellbeing of elderly Asian immigrants. Dr. Xinqi Dong, an expert in population health, has pointed out that traditional Chinese medicine is widely used among older Chinese adults in the United States in conjunction with non-western and western forms of healthcare. Understanding cultural preference and what someone is comfortable with using to treat themselves is an incredibly important consideration in providing health care to older immigrant populations. Like Dr. Dong says, a person’s social, community, national and cultural contexts must be accounted for if we are to expect treatments to be embraced.

In order for there to be a meaningful shift in health equity, integrated approaches are critical, especially when it comes to delivering healthcare to older Asian immigrant populations who may be set in their ways. Otherwise, Asian immigrant elders won’t be equipped with the resources necessary for healthy aging.

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