African American

1
Older Suicide by Race and Gender, 1992
80
67.6
70
White males
African American males
60
53.0
White females
African American females
50
Percent
40
32.0
30
26.0
18.9
18.5
20
11.8
10.1
7.2
6.6
10
6.3
6.3
2.6
2.0
1.4
0.1
0
85
65-74
55-64
75-84
Age Groupings
2
Risk Factors for Suicide in Late Adulthood

• Living alone and being socially isolated
• Experiencing financial difficulty
• Feeling depressed or useless
• Being alcohol or drug dependent
• Having a mental illness that reduces
  communication
• Suffering from chronic pain, illness, or
  incapacity
• Being unable to express grief or suffering
• Losing significant relationships due to the death
  of loved ones

3
Elisabeth Kubler-Rosss Stages of Coping with
Death
Stage
Associated Feelings
Denial Not me. Anger Why
me? Bargaining Yes me, but . .
. Depression Yes me. Begin to
mourn. Acceptance My time is very close now,
and its all right.
Source Kubler-Ross, E. (1969), On death and
dying, New York MacMillan.
4
Ways in Which Culture Influences Death Concerns

• Affects the assessment of comfort needs of the
  dying and the kind of care provided
• Influences selection, perception, and evaluation
  of health care givers and their methods
• Shapes beliefs about causes of death.
• Determines the disposition of the body and
  funeral and burial rituals
• Patterns grief responses and bereavement roles.

Source Adapted from Ross (1994)