Ethnicity, culture and aging: Do differences really make a difference?

The broadest implication for examining the relation of ethnicity and aging centers on the premise that varying ethnic lifestyles will alter the way old age is encountered, perceived and acted out. In asking the question – do ethnic cultural differences make a difference to the elderly? – this paper draws upon some cross-cultural generalizations on aging which have relevance to understanding the ethnic aged in the United States. On a more specific level, it concentrates on the extent to which an over-idealization of ethnic subcultures has made it a policy error to place too much emphasis on the ethnic family and informal supports a s the savior of its elderly members.