Centre for Policy on Ageing



Elderly people from ethnic minorities in Liverpool — mental illness, unmet need and barriers to service use
Author(s)	M A Boneham, K E Williams, J R M Copeland, P McKibbin
Journal title	Health & Social Care in the Community, vol 5, no 3, May 1997
Pages	pp 173-180
Keywords	Social ethics ; Dementia ; Depression ; Needs [elderly] ; Awareness [services] ; Usage [services] ; Social surveys ; Liverpool.
Annotation	This article presents findings of Phase II of the Health and Ethnicity Project, in which 71 ethnic minority people aged 65 and over and diagnosed as suffering from dementia or depression were interviewed. They include Black British, Afro Caribbean and Chinese. Findings show a low level of service use, in spite of considerable unmet need. Only 8% lived in institutions; 46% lived alone. For the 17% living alone in sheltered housing, there was evidence of violence towards wardens, wandering, neglect of rooms and occasional fires. Of the 27% living with a family, nearly half the cases also experienced physical disability. Those living in institutions had language difficulties, or problems in obtaining a suitable diet. This article points to working in partnership with ethnic minority groups to overcome barriers of mistrust, and to ensure cultural sensitivity in the services offered.
Accession Number	CPA-970529018 A
Classmark	TQ: EA: ENR: IK: QLA: QLD: 3F: 84B
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.