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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Hsiao-Yin Chung, gerontology department, UMASS BOSTON, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, boston, MA 02125, 6174477015, cycchocolate@hotmail.com

According to Census 2000 there are more than 6.2 million elderly immigrants who immigrated to United States after age 65. Among them are around 2 million elderly immigrants who live with their grandchildren. One hundred and seventy two thousand stated that they are responsible for their grandchildren.

Since they came to the United States at their old age, they are more likely to have difficulties in speaking English and acculturating into American mainstream culture. However grandparenting could be a physically demanding job for those elderly grandparents and therefore it may have negative effect on their health.

Grandparents may have less access to health care system and also their grandparenting responsibility may prevent them from seeking health care services. Additionally, the health status of grandparent care givers of different races may be varied.

Data from Census 2000 5% Public Use Microdata File are used to examine how the grandparents care givers health status different by races. The research result shows, after controlling for demographic characteristics, and years residing in the United States, the duration of responsibility for grandchildren in years is negative relative to the health of grandparent caregivers for both white and black grandparent caregivers. White grandparent caregivers are more likely to have at least one kind of disability than black counterparts. Moreover white grandparent caregivers are more likely to have work disability, limiting mobility, physical difficulty, personal care limitation, memory difficulty, and vision and hearing difficulties.

Learning Objectives:

• The social workers, health care professionals and policy makers could acquire knowledge about the characteristics of grandparents caregivers. The study results can be used to develop proper program to better serve immigrant grandparent caregivers. This study explores the health status of grandparent caregivers and shed light on the presence of grandparenting role is negatively associated with the physical health of grandparents. The results also show that white grandparents are more likely to have all kinds of disability.

Keywords: Immigrants, Elderly

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No