Assuring Culturally Relevant Respite Services for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Aging Population and their Family Caregivers

This webinar provides an overview of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Aging population for Lifespan Respite grantees, their partners and other respite services providers. As the most diverse of all minority groups, AAPIs represent ethnicities with origins to more than 30 countries, and people that speak over 100 different languages. Each AAPI older adult identifies with unique cultural values, identities, and traditions. During this session, the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) National Resource Center on AAPI Aging provided a general overview of AAPI older adult populations throughout the United States, including demographic trends and cultural diversity. NAPCA also discussed the strong cultural values and diversity across AAPI families, caregiving, and barriers to accessing respite services. Concluding this webinar, NAPCA highlighted strategies for Lifespan Respite programs, their partners and other respite providers to develop cultural and linguistic competence, and best practices for increasing access to respite programs for this diverse minority group nationwide.

Presenter:

Heather Chun, MSW, Director of Technical Assistance, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, Seattle, WA

Resources:

On a previous networking teleconference of the Lifespan Respite Grantees and Partners, experts from National Consortium on Aging Resources for Seniors’ Equity, a consortium of five national resource centers in the aging network representing different ethnic and cultural groups, shared their expertise and resources on culturally relevant approaches to service delivery specific to the populations they serve. Listen to the call. 

A Fact Sheet from the National Consortium on Aging Resources for Seniors’ Equity describes best practices for working with diverse older adults and provides contact information for the five resource centers in the consortium.