Building New Frameworks to Tackle Racial Inequality in Eldercare

The idea that structural racism has a direct impact on all facets of American life – including the experiences of elders in care settings – shouldn't be a controversial statement in 2024, but far too often, the question of equity and race-conscious policymaking gets wrapped up into a broader political discourse. Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, joins the podcast to discuss her framework for directly and bluntly addressing the racial disparities and inequities that plague our eldercare system – and her prescriptions for creating new policies, both at the legal and building level, to ensure that everyone receives high-quality, dignified, and respectful care. We cannot fix centuries of racist wrongs by pretending that discrimination isn't baked into the structures that govern American life, and Fashaw-Walters challenges listeners to address these topics head-on. Read Fashaw-Walters and coauthor Cydney McGuire on racism-conscious policies: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00482 Explore Fashaw-Walters's other research: https://directory.sph.umn.edu/bio/sph-a-z/shekinah-fashaw-walters