What is in Other?
May 31, 2022 aanhpi Jaspreet Chowdhary
The end-of-life options movement should be equitable and inclusive to all communities and during Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are acknowledging the unique needs and challenges of AANHPI communities at the end of life and how our movement can become more inclusive to this community.
Often reported race and ethnicity data are limited to white, Black, Hispanic, and “Other”, with AANHPI grouped under the “Other” category. Lumping all AANHPI people together ignores the fact that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders trace their heritage to more than 50 different countries and speak more than 100 different languages.
These data collection practices lead us to the assumption that we are not significant, that our stories are neither unique, nor distinguishable. How can we even begin to share our stories if we’re not even counted? In the context of end of life, the most pressing concern is whether our end-of-life wishes will be honored when so much of our experiences are not seen.
From the few studies that are available, we can see that Asian Americans are less likely to fill out advance directives than their white counterparts, with completion rates at around 12%, while non-Hispanic white Americans fill out their Advance Directives at a rate of 26%-36%.
Furthermore, federal data demonstrates that only 28% of Asian Americans utilize their Medicare hospice benefits at the end of life, compared to 46% of the white population, 34% of African Americans, and 37% of Latino/Hispanic people.
The limited data indicates an opportunity for education about the existence of resources, better tools for navigating those resources, and space for support if the tools are not implemented as intended.
Addressing the needs of the AANHPI community will help all Americans, as we target resources and care where it is most needed and able to be effectively used. Here in the end-of-life movement, we have an opportunity to do our part in ensuring that the AANHPI community is not left behind. Let’s close out AANHPI Heritage Month by pledging to make inroads into new communities in a manner that is respectful, inclusive and equitable.
