Photo: Hispanically Speaking News

From November 9 through December 7, 2011 the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, conducted a national bilingual survey of 1,220 Hispanic adults. When Labels Don’t Fit lays out those findings in a report that explores Latinos’ attitudes about their identity—including race, their language usage patterns, core values, and views about the U.S. and their families’ country of origin.

Nearly four decades after the United States government mandated the use of the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” to categorize Americans who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries, this new nationwide survey of Hispanic adults found that these terms still haven’t been fully embraced by Hispanics themselves. A majority (51%) said they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin; just 24% said they prefer a pan-ethnic label.

Moreover, by a ratio of more than two-to-one (69% versus 29%), survey respondents said that the more than 50 million Latinos in the U.S. have many different cultures rather than a shared common culture. Respondents did, however, express a strong, shared connection to the Spanish language. More than eight-in-ten (82%) Latino adults said they speak Spanish, and nearly all (95%) say it is important for future generations to continue to do so.

Hispanics were also divided over how much of a common identity they share with other Americans. About half (47%) said they consider themselves to be very different from the typical American. And just one-in-five (21%) said they use the term “American” most often to describe their identity. On these two measures, U.S.-born Hispanics (who now make up 48% of Hispanic adults in the country) expressed having a stronger sense of affinity with other Americans and America than do immigrant Hispanics.

The survey found that, regardless of where they were born, large majorities of Latinos said life in the U.S. is better than in their family’s country of origin. Also, nearly nine-in-ten (87%) said it is important for immigrant Hispanics to learn English in order to succeed in the U.S.

The report, When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity is available at the Pew Hispanic Center’s website, http://www.pewhispanic.org

*Reprint courtesy of Pew

Efforts surrounding World Health Day 2012 sought to raise awareness about the challenges that accompany an aging population, but also about the opportunities that can be had. World Health Day events are intended to build commitment to policies, and to programs and social movements that facilitate healthy longevity.

Mayor Gray’s proclamation noted that the population of the Americas has gained 20 years in life expectancy during the past half-century. By 2020, the region is expected to have some 200 million older adults.

“International and local communities face extraordinary health challenges in response to the aging population, and older adults have a right to access suitable health care, age-friendly environments and community resources that foster healthy longevity,” the document reads.

“Citizens of the global community, in partnership with older adults, must step forward and take action to reinvent aging in our society,” says the proclamation.

The recording of the symposium and panel discussion held on April 12, 2012, can be found here.

*Reprint courtesy of PAHO, April 2012

Recent studies indicate that Hispanics have a 2.5-year advantage in life expectancy over the general U.S. population, despite the Hispanics’ lower socioeconomic status and inferior health. So, plainly put, Hispanics are growing faster than other groups and living longer, but not living better.

The reasons behind this are a combination of several factors, some cultural and some linguistic, but others are symptoms of a system that is increasingly out-of-touch with the shifting demographic reality our country currently faces. And it is precisely in this area where every community member, both young and old, must become civically engaged, especially as we enter 2012— a year of many opportunities and equal challenges.

One very clear example of the direct impact of aging issues on today’s youth is the increasingly polarizing debate on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. In particular, Social Security has been mischaracterized as a senior program that is burdening the economy by piling on deficit to the national debt. Social Security is indeed a program that provides economic security for millions of older Americans across the country, but it doesn’t contribute a penny to our deficit nor is it in danger of going bankrupt anytime soon.

In fact, Social Security doesn’t just ensure older adults’ economic security. It is a family insurance program that keeps children, families, and seniors out of poverty, especially Hispanics. Without Social Security, half of Hispanic older adults would live in poverty. Given the economic downturn and high rates of unemployment and underemployment, children and grandchildren have started moving back in with seniors, and many times their Social Security benefits become the main household income. Families with Social Security beneficiaries have slightly more income than families who don’t – a difference of nearly $2,000 dollars.

Although Social Security faces a long-term funding shortfall, there are things that can be done today to ensure it will continue to exist tomorrow in a way that adequately meets the needs of our increasingly diverse aging population and that ensures its solvency. But time is of the essence. By 2050, the Hispanic older adult population will increase nearly six-fold, from 3 to 17 million. We need to act sooner rather than later.

Your best microphone is your own voice. Use it to speak out about the issue within your community and with your elected officials. For more information about Hispanic aging issues and advocacy efforts, you can visit the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) at www.nhcoa.org

The Council and its Hispanic Aging Network exist to address the issues Hispanic older adults face today, but also to ensure that the needs and concerns of their families and caregivers—in essence, future seniors— are also a key part of any aging-related discussion at the local, regional, or national level.

Known as Candulia to family and friends, Juana Bautista de la Candelaria Rodríguez was born in the town of Ceiba Hueca, Cuba on February 2, 1885—the year that the Washington Monument was dedicated and the year that the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City. She is the oldest of eight children — having survived the death of seven brothers — the mother of 82-year old Elvirio Cabrera, and remains in the village where she grew up.  She is able to talk, stand, and walk with assistance.

An incentive for mindful living? Investing in you by staying healthy not only ensures longevity but a good quality of life—perhaps the most prized element in our lives as we age. But what about love?

When asked why relationships and love are important when we’re seniors, Angel Luis Irene, Vida’s Executive Director, leaves us with this thought: “Love is the blood of life, the protein of the soul. It’s a human necessity. There is always the possibility of falling in love, of finding one’s twin soul.”

Watch Juana Bautista de la Candelaria Rodríguez’s 2012 birthday celebration here.

Ms. Escobar’s new pilot project—Mind-Body Healing for Latino Seniors—is helping empower Vida abuelitos who have chronic diseases by providing them with hands-on tools designed to increase the quality of their lives.

Beginning this month and continuing through February, the project is equipping abuelitos with breathing and meditation techniques to cope with anxiety and manage pain, with basic qi gong (mindfulness exercises) to promote relaxation, and with the use of guided imagery and language to stimulate positive thoughts and moods.

The program is sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank’s DC Solidarity Program.

For more information about Viva Wellness Solutions, click here.

Mayor Vincent Gray, keynote speaker at the ceremony, opened with praise for Vida’s milestone, and commended the 42 year old organization and its leadership for the trailblazing work it continues to carry out for the District’s elderly.

Other speakers and guests of honor included Councilmember Muriel  Bowser, DC Housing Authority’s Executive Director Adrienne Todman, Ambassador of El Salvador Francisco Alstchul, Councilmember Jim Graham, and City First Bank President Brian Argrett.

Before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Father Moises Villalta lead the group in a blessing of the building, as it is custom for many Latino nations and other communities in the U.S.

We are thankful to special guests BB Otero, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, and John E. Hall, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, who shared their morning and afternoon with us.

To see photos of the event, click here. To watch Univision coverage, click here.

For the Washington Post article, click here.  For the Washington Hispanic article, click here.