Choose your language
en English
en Englishbn বাংলাzh-CN 简体中文zh-TW 繁體中文tl Filipinogu ગુજરાતીhaw Ōlelo Hawaiʻihi हिन्दीhmn Hmongid Bahasa Indonesiaja 日本語km ភាសាខ្មែរko 한국어ku كوردی‎lo ພາສາລາວms Bahasa Melayuml മലയാളംmi Te Reo Māorimn Монголmy ဗမာစာne नेपालीpa ਪੰਜਾਬੀsm Samoansd سنڌيsi සිංහලes Españolte తెలుగుth ไทยur اردوvi Tiếng Việt
Google Translate Disclaimer
  • Multimedia
    • Our Stories: 40 for 40
    • National Advocacy
    • Webinars
    • Instructional
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Our Achievements
    • Our Leadership
    • Our Team
    • NAPCA Careers
  • Contact Us
    • NAPCA Corporate
    • SCSEP Program
    • SEE/ACES Program
    • Newsletter
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging
  • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Resources & Information
    • Vaccination Appointments
    • LA County In-Home Vaccination
  • Helpline
  • Resource Center
    • Diversity Guide
    • Elder Abuse
    • Financial Exploitation
    • Fact Sheets
  • Programs & Projects
    • Programs & Projects Home
    • Programs
      • SCSEP: Senior Community Service Employment Program
      • SEE: Senior Environmental Employment Program
    • Special Projects
      • Job Coaching
      • Direct Hire
      • Job Pipeline
      • Access to In-Language Pharmacists
      • Diverse Elders Coalition
      • Increasing the Capacity of Family Caregiver Interventions
      • National Consortium on Aging Resources for Senior’s Equity
      • Preventing Elder Abuse within AAPI Communities
  • Press Center
  • Donate

Advocating for AAPIs in State and Federal Governments

By NAPCAOctober 13, 2017 Civic Engagement, Diverse Elders Coalition
  • No Comments
  • 0
  • 0

February 23, 2017 was a busy day for the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) and an important day for making the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) heard. Dr. Wesley Lum, President and CEO of NAPCA, spoke at the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) Congressional Briefing in Washington D.C., while NAPCA staff attended the annual Asian Pacific Island Coalition AAPI Washington State Legislative Day. Both events centred on the steps that need to be taken to address the unique needs of a culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse AAPI community.

wes

Dr. Lum makes remarks at “Aging with Health and Dignity: Diverse Elders Speak Up,” Feb 23, 2017.
Photo courtesy of NCAPA.

The Congressional Briefing coincided with DEC’s release of a new report entitled “Aging with Health and Dignity: Diverse Elders Speak Up.” The report outlines the main findings from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) public comments submitted by DEC partners. The ACL was created in 2012 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve as the federal agency responsible for increasing access to community support while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities across their lifespan. DEC was able to gather nearly 5,000 comments during the public comment period, which will help inform state plans to serve the aging population under the Older Americans Act.

New reports from NAPCA and the DEC. Photo courtesy of LEAD Coalition.

New reports from NAPCA and the DEC. Photo courtesy of LEAD Coalition.

At the Congressional Briefing, Dr. Lum highlighted one of the main themes that came out in the comments collected by the coalition: meeting the unique needs of AAPI older adults by accurately identifying who these communities are. Dr. Lum noted that in the U.S., the AAPI category accounts for 25 ethnicities speaking over 50 different languages. If all of the information collected about AAPIs is aggregated, then meaningful differences are obscured. For example, while Hmong Americans have one of the highest poverty rates of any group in the nation, Malaysian Americans have an average income of over $90,000. These differences are made invisible when we only collect data on an aggregated “Asian” population. State plans under the Older Americans Act need to include ways of collecting disaggregated data to ensure that AAPI older adults are being accurately and adequately represented in planning, evaluation, and resource allocation.

Meanwhile on the same day in Olympia, WA, more than 2,000 community leaders and activists attended the AAPI Legislative Day. This state-wide rally was an opportunity to hear from Governor Jay Inslee and meet with legislators to discuss issues of concern to AAPI communities. The main areas of advocacy included equal access to safety net services, culturally competent and linguistically accessible health and human services, and civil and human rights.

These two events were important opportunities to inform policy makers of the specific needs of AAPI older adults. NAPCA, along with its partners like DEC and APIC, will continue to advocate on behalf of diverse communities at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure that policies adequately represent and equitably serve all individuals, regardless of their race, ethnicity, age or the language they speak.

This post was authored by Brianna Brown for the Diverse Elders Coalition Blog on February 28, 2017.

Archives

  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017

Categories

  • #SCSEPSuccess
  • Adult Day Service Programs
  • Affiliate Network
  • Board of Directors
  • Civic Engagement
  • Diverse Elders Coalition
  • Elder Abuse Prevention
  • Family Caregiving
  • Healthy Aging
  • Human Resources
  • Korean AAPI
  • Long-Term Services and Supports
  • Mature Workers
  • SCSEP
  • Uncategorized
  • Vietnamese AAPI

NAPCA Helpline

English
1-800-336-2722
普通话 / Mandarin
1-800-683-7427
日本語 / Japanese
1-800-398-1117
Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese
1-800-582-4336
廣東話 / Cantonese
1-800- 582-4218
한국어 / Korean
1-800-582-4259
Tagalog / Filipino
1-800-593-8087
Español / Spanish
1-800-948-3844

More Information

  • Get Involved
  • Impact Areas
  • Privacy Policy
  • Notice of Non-Discrimination
  • Terms of Use
  • FAQ
  • Annual Reports

Donate to NAPCA

Your contribution means the world to us and ensures that we can continue to advocate for the AAPI community and maintain their dignity. Any amount helps and is truly appreciated.
Donate Now 

© 2023 National Asian Pacific Center on Aging. All Rights Reserved.

  • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Resources & Information
    • Vaccination Appointments
    • LA County In-Home Vaccination
  • Helpline
  • Resource Center
    • Diversity Guide
    • Elder Abuse
    • Financial Exploitation
    • Fact Sheets
  • Programs & Projects
    • Programs & Projects Home
    • Programs
      • SCSEP: Senior Community Service Employment Program
      • SEE: Senior Environmental Employment Program
    • Special Projects
      • Job Coaching
      • Direct Hire
      • Job Pipeline
      • Access to In-Language Pharmacists
      • Diverse Elders Coalition
      • Increasing the Capacity of Family Caregiver Interventions
      • National Consortium on Aging Resources for Senior’s Equity
      • Preventing Elder Abuse within AAPI Communities
  • Press Center
  • Donate