Increasing Diversity in Davis County, Utah's Senior Citizen Centers

 Introduction

Davis County, Utah’s elderly population (those 65 years plus) stands at 6.1% and a significant growth in that population is expected throughout the first half of the 21^st century, largely due to immigration patterns (U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004). Utah is expected to have a 165 percent increase in the 65 plus age groups between the year 2000 and 2030 (Mason, et al., 2002). The growth is not only in Utah residents living into old age, but is also coming from immigration patterns that are bringing people of all ages and ethnicities into the state. As an example, the national annual growth rate among American ethnicities can differ significantly. Euro-Americans are growing at a 6% rate while the African Americans are increasing by 15% each year (Carr-Ruffino, 2003, p. 188). Since demographic shifts are also resulting in an increased rate of older individuals who belong to minority populations, it is necessary to prepare for more racial and ethnic integration at the Senior Citizen Centers of Davis County, Utah.

Davis County Aging Services operates three Senior Citizen Centers under the direction of the Utah State Aging Services, which follows the directives of the national Administration on Aging (AoA), as authorized by the Older American’s Act (OAA, 1965). Since funds to operate the agency come from various federal (The AoA and The Department of Agriculture), state (The Utah State Aging Services), and local sources, discrimination must not be practiced. The OAA recognizes only age testing as a legitimate measure to determine who receives services. According to the OAA, persons 55 years of age and older are considered to be covered by the Act, although full coverage does not begin until age 65 (Compilation of the Older Americans Act of 1965 and the Native American Programs Act of 1974, 1993, sec. 102).

Each of the three Senior Citizen Centers has a site manager and a few paid employees along with several older volunteers. Most of the staff members at each center, including the volunteers, are female, with the exception of the transportation van drivers, who are often male. Perhaps the Centers benefit from women leaders as Carr-Ruffino (2003) reports that “Women’s leadership style is more enthusiastic, communicative, and production-oriented, while men’s is more conservative, yet innovative and strategic” (p. 173). One part of the job description of the Centers is to reach out to the older population who live in their area and to provide services to both those who physically come to the Center as well as those who do not, and women are well suited to that orientation. There are also important ethical standards for these human services workers. They state that the worker shall not “condone or engage in discrimination based on age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, martial status, or socio-economic status” (Herlihy and Corey, 1996, p. 202).

The Davis County Department of Aging Services, using the 2000 Census, reported to the Davis County Commission that there were 719 people over the age of 65 who were living below the national poverty line. This group is especially in need of services to help meet their basic needs. The report did not name the racial or ethnic backgrounds of these impoverished people, but they could be minority members. One way to try to identify these individuals would be to seek out local areas that house poorer people and, often, have an increased population of minorities. “The spatial distribution of racial groups, specifically the residential segregation of African Americans in aging urban areas, contributes to disparities in health by influencing access to economic, social, and physical resources essential to health” (Schultz, Williams, Israel, and Lempert, 2002, p. 677).

For the purposes of following federal guidelines, increasing the racial and ethnic diversity served by the three Senior Citizen Centers will be the main thrust of this work. The goal is to create a plan that may lead to a more diverse population of older individuals making use of the Senior Citizen Centers of Davis County, Utah.

According to the US Census Bureau’s 2000 data, the United States has a non-white population of 24% with an estimated 1.2 million immigrants arriving each year. The birth rate of the non-white population, according to the US Census, is also higher than the white population. While non-white members of the population still have lower longevity rates than whites, those rates have also been increasing, according to the Census. These factors suggest that an increasing higher percentage of the older population (65 years old and older) will be made up of non-white individuals.

     According to the 2000 Census of all age groups, the racial makeup of Davis County is as follows:

                    Total population for Davis County  238,994 

                    White alone    220,486 (92%)

                    Black or African American alone  2,615

                   American Indian and Alaska Native 1,379

                   Asian alone 3,665                                     

                   Native Hawaiian or Other Islander 639

                   Some other race alone 5,501

                   Two or more Races 4,709

                   Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Census 2000

            People do not live in social isolation, but must adapt to the communities where they live and work (Kottak and Kozaitis, 2002, p. 80). Adaptation may be more difficult for minorities when the area they live in is lacking in diversity. Davis County is not very racially diverse (8% diversity according to the 2000 Census), and has been much less diverse in the past. In the southern part of the county, ethnic and racial diversity has been very sparse. According to a Bountiful, Utah police officer, David Edwards, several calls still come in every month, even during broad daylight, from older citizens complaining that “there is a colored person walking in my neighborhood.” As portrayed by this quote, many of the senior citizens living in the southern end of the county lack experience with minorities. For people who grew up experiencing interracial contact in schools and neighborhoods, Emerson, Kimbro, and Yancey (2002) found that in their adult years they were more likely to have minority friends and more diverse social groups (p. 745). Fortunately, Davis County includes Hill Air Force Base which adds more racial and ethnic diversity in the northern end of the county.