This article documents the dramatic increase expected in the number of people over
65 years of age who will be living in the United States during the first half of the
21st century and describes how the age, health, and ethnic differences of this expanding
group will comprise an extremely heterogeneous subpopulation. Differences in how aging
and the health problems that accompany it may be viewed are discussed in terms of
cultural influences and traditions. It is suggested that such differences in a growing
segment of the population that is likely to have increasing needs for speech-language
pathology services in the years ahead could pose significant challenges for the profession.
ethnic background - cultural factors - support systems
