The nursing home has traditionally been the aging population’s last place of residence. However, more and more, rising health care access and increased Medicaid funding toward assisted living and other residential facilities has offered many Americans a new lease on life in their golden years. Unfortunately, this trend towards less restrictive senior housing arrangements doesn’t translate to all racial and ethnic demographics.

Minorities In Nursing Homes

As of 2015, minorities account for almost a fifth of the nursing home population. But while the population of white Americans who rely on nursing homes in their older years is decreasing, for minorities, the opposite is true. Between 1999-2008, the country’s white nursing home population has decreased by more than ten percent, while minorities have become more prevalent, increasing by as much as 54.9 percent.

Many of the homes with a high population of African-American, Asian and Hispanic residents are located in low-income areas of large, metropolitan cities. It is often difficult in such areas to attract highly proficient caretakers, which could impact the quality of senior care in such facilities.

Minority Care In Nursing Homes

The disparity of care in nursing homes between minority and Caucasian residents varies depending on the location and demographics of the nursing home in question. Those minorities who live in predominantly poorer areas with available nursing homes receive a similar level of care. Of course, this is a double-edged sword since homes in these areas are also more limited in resources and generally provide a lower level of care than other residential facilities in the city.

In similar fashion, nursing homes that are comprised of minorities that represent less than 5% of the population have a better track record when it comes to minority care. Again, this could correlate to the home’s location since most nursing homes with a low percentage of minority population are located in higher income areas.

Medicaid And Nursing Home Changes

Medicaid is the primary funding source for nursing homes and other long-term residential centers. As such, changes in how Medicaid is allocated or how states regulate Medicaid-funded facilities can make a huge impact on the level of service offered to minorities across the country.

The widened availability of Medicaid to Americans as a result of the Affordable Care Act has led to an increase in federal and state regulations for long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. This has helped increase the quality of care to minorities by requiring nursing homes to meet a certain standard of care to continue to qualify for funding. In addition, the agency is also changing how they allocate their budget, generally moving away from institutionalized settings for senior care to more home-based methods of service. In 2013, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) accounted for 46% of Medicaid’s long-term care spending budget, up 14% from just a decade earlier. This means that more low-income Americans have access to a higher level of care in their own homes than ever before.

The Road Ahead

If you are a senior minority in the United States, you have likely experienced the disparity of care that comes from living in a country still reeling from the effects of past discrimination and segregation. Access to quality care for low-income neighborhoods is still unpredictable and infrequent. According to research released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, as recently as 2009, black patients received worse care than white patients in 41% of the statistical categories measured. This discrepancy may not be the result of racial discrimination or hatred but stems from an overall lack of demographic equality.

Fortunately, the country is changing. In the years since that report came out, federal and state governments have overhauled the Medicare and Medicaid program to improve the quality of care afforded minorities. While there is still a long road to travel, lower-income and minority seniors should find the gap in quality of care closing, allowing the elderly of all racial and ethnic backgrounds the same opportunities for a comfortable life in their twilight years.