By Christine Pérez, Director of Programs at the National Hispanic Council on Aging
May is more than just the month that marks the start of spring, it’s also Older Americans Month – a time to acknowledge the contributions of older people from the past and present, and how they have helped our country, particularly those who defended it. This observance is celebrated with ceremonies, fairs, and other activities across the United States.
This Older Americans Month, everyone at the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), and our partners at the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC), are reminded of the importance of our work to improve the lives of Hispanic older adults, their families, and caregivers. A major focus of our efforts is in helping to improve the health and wellness of older adults, including advocating for their inclusion in health research.
Our President and CEO, Yanira Cruz, MPH, DrPH, agrees, as “the health and wellness of older Americans, specifically Hispanic older adults, is one of our top priorities at NHCOA. It is important we recognize our community this Older American’s month.”
Unfortunately, older adults have historically been left out of health research and clinical trials. This has set us back from establishing effective medical treatments among the communities we support. In fact, research indicates that older adults carry 60% of the national disease burden yet only represent 32% of patients in phase II and III clinical trials.
One very big way we can increase the representation of older people as well as other underrepresented groups in biomedical research is with the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, which is a historic effort to collect health data from one million or more people living in the United States. The program’s mission is to accelerate health research and medical breakthroughs, enabling individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all of us.
What’s exciting about NHCOA and DECs work with the All of Us program is, it gives older adults the power to insert themselves into the conversation of health research and potentially impact the future of health research for themselves, and their families. All people above the age of 18, no matter ethnicity, background, or medical history, can enroll in the program. In fact, over 43% of program participants are over the age of 60, and currently 16% of participants are Hispanic/Latino.
Lauren Pongan, National Director of the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC), emphasizes that “many older adults from diverse backgrounds have been marginalized and/or underrepresented in research. In May, as we celebrate and recognize the lives, contributions, and experiences of older adults living in the U.S., Diverse Elders Coalition is continuing our partnership with NHCOA to make sure that all older adults have the opportunity to participate in the All of Us Research Program and contribute to this foundational study in precision medicine.”
Collecting health data from older adults from diverse backgrounds can help researchers learn more about how their health is unique and may allow researchers to increase knowledge about the risk factors for certain diseases and figure out which treatments work best for people of different backgrounds.
As the All of Us Research Program celebrates its 5-year anniversary, we’re celebrating the more than 624,000 people across the country that have already enrolled, with over 3,000 participants from the DMV area (including Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia). To increase awareness and to provide people the opportunity to enroll, the All of Us Journey, a traveling educational exhibit designed to help visitors of all ages learn about the program and enroll, is coming to the DMV area this May, and invites everyone to stop by, enroll, or learn more! We all deserve to be represented in health research and future discoveries. In honor of Older Americans Month, we owe it to our entire community, and each generation, to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history that is representative of all of us.
For more information about the All of Us Research program, you can access the following link: https://bit.ly/3pVOKHn.
Christine Pérez is the Director of Programs at the National Hispanic Council on Aging. She has over 5 years’ experience as a program specialist and effectively implementing and managing social and public health programs that are used to boost fundraising, increase partner membership, enlist support from government agencies and corporations and to benefit older adults, their families, and caregivers.
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