Introduction to the
ETHNIC SPECIFIC MODULES
Gwen Yeo, PhD, Editor
Stanford Geriatric Education Center

Background

The Collaborative on Ethnogeriatric Education is proud to present the Ethnic Specific Modules to complement the more generic Core Curriculum in Ethnogeriatrics developed previously. The Collaborative is composed of 42 representatives of 34 Geriatric Education Centers who have worked together to design and develop the Ethnogeriatric Curriculum for health care training programs in all health care disciplines. We are grateful for the support of the Bureau of Health Professions that has allowed us to make these contributions to resources for teaching cultural competence in geriatric care. We sincerely hope they will be used.

Authors

Special thanks go to the authors who worked so hard over many months to develop these modules. The chairs of each of the four major divisions (African American, American Indian, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian and Pacific Islander) were recruited from the members of the Collaborative on Ethnogeriatric Education. They in turn recruited their other authors and coauthors.

Description

A theme running through all the modules is the heterogeneity of the populations of elders they describe. The Collaborative members felt that it was very important not to lump ethnic groups together more than necessary, so that in the Asian/Pacific Islander section there are eight separate modules. Because of the different interests and perspectives of the different authors, each of the modules is somewhat unique in the content that is included.

All, however, are designed to use the same format and outline of the original five modules in the Core Curriculum in Ethnogeriatrics, which include description, learning objectives, content, instructional strategies, student evaluation questions, and references and resources including websites. The tables, figures, and cases in each module are formatted so that they can be used for overheads or handouts. It is highly recommended that these ethnic specific modules be used in conjunction with the more comprehensive coverage on ethnogeriatric topics and resources in the Core Curriculum in Ethnogeriatrics.

In most cases, modules contain very little information comparing that population of elders to the elders of other ethnic minority populations. The tables that follow this Introduction are included for those who would like that kind of comparative data on the four ethnic minority categories of elders, although they do not include information of the ethnic subgroups in each category.

Future Tasks

As with any curriculum, these modules will need to be updated as the years go by. We hope that faculty will be able to use the websites listed to keep the information current. If we have the opportunity, perhaps the modules themselves can be updated at some future time.

There have been questions about adding other modules. Some have suggested there should be a module on White elders. If there are faculty who would like to undertake that task, we would be delighted to hear from you.

If you have questions or comments or suggestions relating to these Ethnic Specific Modules or to the Core Curriculum in Ethnogeriatrics, please let us know.

We would very much appreciate hearing from the users or potential users of the resources developed by our Collaborative on Ethnogeriatric Education.

Gwen Yeo, PhD
Stanford Geriatric Education Center
Stanford University School of Medicine
Email: gwenyeo@stanford.edu
Phone: 650-494-3986
October, 2001

Source: Administration on Aging. Achieving Cultural Competence:
A Guidebook for Providers of Services to Older Americans and Their Families.
www.aoa.gov.

Education Level

Percentage of the 65+ Population with a High School
Diploma or Higher or a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher,
by Race and Hispanic Origin, 1998

Poverty

Source: Administration on Aging. Achieving Cultural Competence:
A Guidebook for Providers of Services to Older Americans and Their Families.
www.aoa.gov