Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Long-Term Care

Studies show racial and ethnic disparities exist in access and quality of health services.

Materials included on this page provide information, research, and resources on racial and ethnic disparities in long-term care. 

• Advancing Equity in Aging Toolkit, Justice in Aging
   
• Diverse Elders Coalition - A coalition of six national organizations representing a growing majority of millions of older people throughout the country: American Indian and Alaska Native Elders; Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian older adults; Black and African American older adults; Hispanic and Latinx older adults; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults.

• Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities, Center for Medicare Advocacy

• Implicit Bias and Racial Disparities in Health Care, American Bar Association

• Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Nursing Home Quality of Life Deficiencies, 2001 to 2011, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 2016

• RNs and CNAs Work Fewer Hours in Nursing Facilities that Serve Predominately Ethnic and Racial Minority Residents, Center for Medicare Advocacy, 2016

• Mistreatment of African American Elders, National Center on Elder Abuse, 2016

• Racial Disparities in Community- and Institution-Based Long-Term Services and Supports, Innovation in Aging, 2019

• "Compared to whites, racial/ethnic minorities tend to be cared for in facilities with limited clinical and financial resources, low nurse staffing levels, and a relatively high number of care deficiency citations." Deficiencies In Care At Nursing Homes And Racial/Ethnic Disparities Across Homes Fell, 2006–11, 2015

• Disparities in Nursing Home Care, Nursing Home Abuse Center

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people of color in nursing homes have been infected and died at a disproportionately higher rate.

COVID-19 Specific Information:

• The Striking Racial Divide in How Covid-19 Has Hit Nursing Homes, New York Times, May 21, 2020

• Characteristics of U.S. Nursing Homes with COVID‐19 Cases, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, June 2, 2020

• "Nursing homes with the lowest percent white residents were more than twice as likely to have COVID-19 cases or deaths as those with the highest percent white residents." Testimony from University of Chicago researcher Dr. R. Tamara Konetzka, PhD to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, May 21, 2020

• COVID-19 Pandemic: Exacerbating Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Long-Term Services and Supports, Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 2020

• "Nursing homes caring predominantly for Medicaid or racial and ethnic minority residents tend to have more confirmed cases." COVID-19 infections and deaths among Connecticut nursing home residents: facility correlates, 2020

Consumer Voice is committed to using our voice to break down all forms of oppression, including inequities in healthcare, and continuing our work of fighting for quality of life and care for long-term care consumers nationwide. If you would like to submit a resource for inclusion on this page, email info@theconsumervoice.org.