Date
8-11-2021 12:25 PM
Abstract
Black adults living in gentrifying neighborhoods experience cultural incongruence with new, often younger, high SES and White residents. In addition, older Black adults are losing deep ties to their neighborhood. This is a major loss to their social network and their sense of belonging within their own neighborhoods. Disruption of long-standing social ties can cause changes in mental health and raises concerns about gentrification’s potentially disruptive impact on cognitive health and the brain aging process. In order to learn more about the experience of older Black adults within a rapidly changing city, focus group discussions from the Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-Imagery (SHARP) study were analyzed. The SHARP study engages Black Adults (n=19, ≥ 55 years) who have been residing in Portland, Oregon’s historically Black neighborhoods for at least 10 years in a walking program through these gentrifying areas, now home to a predominately White, younger, and higher socioeconomic demographic. Focus group discussions were thematically coded [Croff et al., 2021; Croff et al., 2019]. Themes included “gentrification,” “cultural incongruence,” and “mental health impact.” Within the discussions, participants described generational and cultural differences between them and newer generations, and residents reflected on their feelings and experiences of gentrification. The potential impact that changing neighborhoods have on the mental health of Black adults and the quality of aging is especially relevant since, as a demographic group, they are at an increased risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease and disproportionately affected by gentrification.
Biographies
Ann Wachana Biology (pre-med track)
Ann Wachana is a senior at Portland State University. She is majoring in biology and on the pre-medicine track. Her interest in medicine began at Benson Polytechnic High School, where she majored in health sciences and was able to get hands-on technical experience while exploring various healthcare careers. Gaining a particular interest in physiology, Ann then went on to explore medicine through research as a BUILD EXITO and McNair Scholar. She is a student researcher in Dr. Holly Hinson’s Lab, which focuses on traumatic brain injuries and also works with Dr. Raina Croff on the Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo- imagery (SHARP) Study. After her undergraduate studies, Ann hopes to obtain a medical degree and a graduate degree in global health. In the future, Ann aims to practice medicine and increase healthcare access on a global scale.
Dr. Holly Hinson, Faculty Mentor, Associate Director of Clinical Research in the Neurosciences ICU at OHSU
H. E. Hinson, M.D., M.C.R. is an Associate Professor of Neurocritical Care, Neurology, and Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. She serves as the Associate Director of Clinical Research in the Neurosciences ICU at OHSU, a member of the AAN’s Science Committee, and serves on the editorial boards of the journals Neurology, Stroke, and Neurocritical Care. She identifies her work as “Computational Neurology”; her research involves developing precision strategies for the treatment of acute brain injuries, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), by applying integrative approaches that include high dimensional molecular and clinical data to infer predictive models of disease-related phenotypes. Dr. Hinson is a national leader in equity initiatives. She founded the American Academy of Neurology’s LGBTQI section in 2017, and served as its inaugural chair from 2018-2020. Dr. Hinson has served on the AAN’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Joint Coordinating Council, and is one of two EDI Associate editors for the journal Neurology.
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Urban Studies and Planning
Subjects
Afrocentrism -- Oregon -- Portland -- Case studies, Exercise -- Physiological aspects, Older African Americans -- Health and hygiene, African American neighborhoods -- Oregon -- Portland, Gentrification, Dementia -- Prevention, Alzheimer's disease -- Prevention, Dementia -- Exercise therapy, Alzheimer's disease -- Exercise therapy, Mental health, Racial justice, Social justice
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36196
Exploring How Gentrification-related Effects Impact the Health of Older Black Adults
Black adults living in gentrifying neighborhoods experience cultural incongruence with new, often younger, high SES and White residents. In addition, older Black adults are losing deep ties to their neighborhood. This is a major loss to their social network and their sense of belonging within their own neighborhoods. Disruption of long-standing social ties can cause changes in mental health and raises concerns about gentrification’s potentially disruptive impact on cognitive health and the brain aging process. In order to learn more about the experience of older Black adults within a rapidly changing city, focus group discussions from the Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-Imagery (SHARP) study were analyzed. The SHARP study engages Black Adults (n=19, ≥ 55 years) who have been residing in Portland, Oregon’s historically Black neighborhoods for at least 10 years in a walking program through these gentrifying areas, now home to a predominately White, younger, and higher socioeconomic demographic. Focus group discussions were thematically coded [Croff et al., 2021; Croff et al., 2019]. Themes included “gentrification,” “cultural incongruence,” and “mental health impact.” Within the discussions, participants described generational and cultural differences between them and newer generations, and residents reflected on their feelings and experiences of gentrification. The potential impact that changing neighborhoods have on the mental health of Black adults and the quality of aging is especially relevant since, as a demographic group, they are at an increased risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease and disproportionately affected by gentrification.