Occupation's Role in Inclusion of Spanish-Speaking Older Adults in a Senior Center.
Ryan Lavalley
PMID 35499253WHAT IT FOUND
Spanish-speaking elders described feeling included when the senior center proactively offered regular activities in Spanish, staff learned their interests, and bilingual staff made first contact.
When English-only information assumed they would ask, they did not connect.
Key findings
01The center's default English norms meant Spanish-speaking older adults often had to ask for services in English, and non-Spanish-speaking staff did not see it as their responsibility to remove those barriers.
02When staff proactively provided Spanish-language information and activities tied to Spanish-speaking elders' interests, more people attended and Spanish speakers connected to more center occupations.
03Spanish speakers relied heavily on the bilingual social worker; when the position was left unfilled, connections to staff and services became less frequent.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Findings come from one public senior center in North Carolina, so they may not apply to other communities, senior centers, or older adult programs. Only 6 staff members and 7 Spanish-speaking older adults were consultants, and the study did not include other patrons or community members. The author was not a native Spanish speaker, so some cultural nuance may have been lost in data from Spanish-speaking adults. Only four Spanish-speaking older adult consultants took part in collaborative analysis, and staff did not take part in collaborative analysis. The study describes community-level occupation, not individual outcomes, so it does not show that any activity caused improved health or participation. The center's experience is embedded in broader structural racism and language norms, which the study could not fully capture.
Declared interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that Spanish-language activities cause inclusion or that these findings apply to all senior centers. It is a qualitative account from one center, with 6 staff members and 7 Spanish-speaking older adults as consultants, and the authors state that the lessons may not apply to all communities.