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Biomedical subjects

O B Lightfoot

Publications and source records attributed to O B Lightfoot.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1983

Preventive issues and the black elderly: a biopsychosocial perspective.

Of 26 million black Americans, 8 to 10 percent are elderly. Life expectancy for blacks is on the average 5.5 years less than for whites. Black men on the average live only 64.1 years. Preventive services in an elderly population must focus on maintaining physical health, supporting psychological well-being, and sustaining an adequate economic base and a dependable social-service network. High-risk factors in the elderly include being black, being poor, living alone, experiencing major life changes, being recently bereaved, or being recently discharged from a hospital. Important issues involved in maintaining good psychological and mental health include previous psychological health, previous intellectual capability, and the response to diminished physical health and to other major life changes. An adequate social network must include maintaining or developing friendships, capitalizing on the strengths of subcultural identifications, and having ready access to social, legal, health, and political-action groups.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1982

Ethnic and cultural variations in the care of the aged. Psychiatric intervention with blacks: the elderly--a case in point.

I have attempted in this presentation to discuss a range of issues confronting black Americans at different points in the life cycle. Special attention has been focused on the black elderly. Black Americans, the black elderly among them, are a sizable group in this country with needs that approximate and parallel the needs of the majority, and needs that diverge and require more focused attention. It is hoped that this discussion can be listed as just one of many undertaken by this sponsoring group around this vital subject.

Black or African American↗