ALASKA NATIVE AND AMERICAN INDIAN ELDERS

ALASKA NATIVE AND
AMERICAN INDIAN ELDERS
In 2000, there were 259,663 Alaska Native and
American Indian elders in the United States, and this
group is expected to grow by a little over 1.5%.
American Indian elders come frommore than 550 fed-
erally recognized tribes who live on or near reserva-
tions and across U.S. urban areas. Life expectancy at
194———Ethnic Minority Elderly Individualsbirth is approximately 67.6 years forAmerican Indian
males and 74.7 for females, but similar to the situation
for Asian, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander American
populations, the quality of data is very poor.American
Indians have the lowest rate of health insurance cover-
age, at 62%, with lack of health service access, espe-
cially in urban areas. Multiple chronic conditions
contribute to health disparities, with 57% reporting
three or more chronic conditions, 17% with a
single chronic condition, and 26% without chronic
conditions.
Large-scale studies of the prevalence of mental dis-
orders among American Indian elders is lacking, but
smaller studies indicate between 20% and 30% of
elders suffer from dementia or alcohol-related demen-
tia. Investigators have attributed poorer mental health
status to a high rate of personal loss, such as family
deaths, threats, and societal denigration for traditional
American Indian identities and cultures