Listening to Older Black Californians – California Health Care Foundation

The intersection of racism and health care continues to have profound effects on Black Americans, particularly as they age. Older Black Americans experience a double burden: the accumulated impact of historical discrimination in jobs, housing, education, and health care, alongside ongoing exposure to systemic racism in the health care system and stressful environmental, social, and economic conditions.

These impacts emerge during midlife (age 45–64), when many Black Americans show signs of accelerated aging due to race-related stress, with increased risk and earlier onset of chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.

Access to high-quality health care becomes increasingly critical during middle and older age because proper diagnosis and treatment can help prevent or manage these conditions, reducing the risk of multimorbidity and premature death.

This project includes two fact sheets drawn from the landmark Listening to Black Californians study. Each fact sheet draws from data among the study’s 1,752 middle-aged and older adult survey participants (age 45 and up); illustrative quotations come from the study’s individual interviews.

Why and How Older Black Californians Take Control of their Health highlights the strengths of aging Black Californians, their strategies for taking care of their health despite experiencing racism in health care, and potential solutions to achieve equity in health care.

How Aging Women Face the “Triple Jeopardy” of Race, Gender, and Age in Health Care uses an intersectional approach to highlight the health care experiences of aging Black women in California and the efforts they take to maintain their health and increase their chances of receiving fair treatment. It also makes recommendations to address racial, gender, and age-related bias in health care.