Wed., August 3
"White Flight" in Nursing Homes

"White Flight" and Nursing Homes

There's a saying that growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. But, where you grow old may not be an option, depending on your race.

More and more people in nursing homes are minorities, according to a new study out of Brown University. On the surface, this could be seen as a good thing. Civil rights groups raised concerns about minority elders and their lack of access to nursing homes 30 years ago, and in the last ten years, more and more nursing home residents are minorities. This isn't necessarily a win for civil rights groups, but a reflection of economic disparity between races. Nursing homes are often seen as a last resort today, as most people prefer to spend their last years in assisted living or with home care. Today, we look at the forces that could be behind this demographic shift.

Guests:
Vincent Mor, a principal investigator and co-author of "Separate and Unequal: Racial Segregation And Disparities In Quality Across U.S. Nursing Homes", a Brown University study. Mor is the chair of the department of community health at the Brown University School of Medicine.
Mary Fennell, a principal investigator and co-author of the Brown University study. Fennell is a professor of sociology and community health at Brown University.
Arthur Caplan, Emanuel & Robert Hart Director of the Center for Bioethics and Sidney D. Caplan Professor of Medical Ethics, University of Pennsylvania