Latinas Face Health Care Challenge

Many of them have been caregivers all their lives, but low-income Latinas are unprepared to care for themselves as they age and face chronic illnesses, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The study by the Santa Ana-based Latino Health Access surveyed 108 Latinas ages 45 to 64 in one of the county’s poorest ZIP Codes. The results paint a grim picture of what some Latinas face in their golden years: a never-ending cycle of medical and financial problems that they are not equipped to handle. Latinas who live in low-income areas historically have worked in low-paying jobs that do not provide health care or offer savings plans, leaving them at risk for problems later in life.

“We have to be creative with solutions because there aren’t going to be enough resources,” said Mary Paul, who compiled the data. “People don’t have a grip on the aging population. As a nation, we’re reaching a point where there are more older people than younger people, and that’s never happened before. We need to resolve this as a community and as a state.”

Nationally, nearly one in five Latinas is older than 45. And 38% of the uninsured in California are Latino, Paul said.

The study’s participants live in ZIP Code 92701. Among them, 60% were widowed, divorced or alone; and 90% were Mexican immigrants who had lived in the United States for an average of 13 years.

Nine out of 10 women did not have health insurance and did not know what it takes to qualify for Social Security benefits, making them ineligible for Medicare when they turn 65, Paul said. Two out of three women suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease or arthritis, all chronic illnesses.

After questioning each of the 108 women, Latino Health Access conducted focus groups to delve deeper into the issues, said America Bracho, president of Latino Health Access, a nonprofit center that serves the medical needs of uninsured Latinos. Latino Health Access plans to form a committee made up of some of the participants and health care advocates. Their mission is to to come up with solutions.

“We do not have a particular strategy,” Bracho said. “What we have is a lot of aging Latinas in our program. What we’re asking for today is not just for money. We need human resources. We need to create new services, but we also need to connect our people to services that already exist.”

The study was released at a press conference attended by health care workers and advocates and staff members of the offices of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim) and Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana).

“This reinforces what many of us in the community know,” said Guillermo Gonzalez, Southern California director of Feinstein’s office. “The lack of health care is critical. It’s a major crisis.”

Just ask 60-year-old Guadalupe Villa, mother of 10 and grandmother of 10, who was interviewed for the study.

Villa is illiterate, has cancer and has supported herself caring for children in the 10 years she has lived in Santa Ana. In January, the Oaxaca, Mexico, native plans to return to Mexico to live with her daughter.

“Life is very hard for me here,” Villa said. “I know I will be better off in Mexico. I don’t have money, and here you need money for everything. But I think what they did with this study is a beautiful thing. I participated to help the women who come after me. It won’t help me, but hopefully, it will help them.”

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Snapshot of Women at Risk

A survey of 108 Latinas in the 92701 ZIP code found that the vast majority have no health insurance and are not aware of government programs for people of modest means. Those surveyed were between 45 and 64 .

Over 90% had no knowledge of the work requirements for Social Security and Medicare benefits.

90% had no health insurance.

80% reported that language is a barrier when receiving medical services.

66% had a chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems or arthritis.

50% were unsure of their Medi-Cal eligibility.

Source: Latino Health Access