Asexuality Among the Old and Young (Video 4:55)

                                                                      

Asexuality is a medically approved sexual orientation including about 1% of people who represent millions worldwide. Because you may have contact with them in any area of your life including your workplace, it's important to understand their concerns in adjusting to a predominantly heterosexual, sex-oriented society. While the behaviors of asexual people vary, they have the same emotional needs as everyone else. They may feel embarrassed, isolated or confused because they are different from the standard society conveys as normal sexuality. They are a diverse community with people experiencing relationships in various ways. This includes loving relationships in which they have no sexual attraction and are not trying to be abstinent or celibate. Emotional and romantic attractions are not the same as sexual attractions.

People often wrongly stereotype many older adults as being asexual simply because they are old. The reality is that older adult asexuals have never had any interest in sex or sexual attraction towards others. Because the media focus on asexuality emphasizes younger adults, older asexuals have more difficulty finding resources and supportive groups to share their concerns in an environment of acceptance. Fortunately, the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) hosts the world's largest online asexual community and a large archive of resources that can benefit anyone interested in this topic. 

What were the probable concerns of older adults when they were young? In the following video titled "5 Asexual People Explain What "Asexual" Means to Them," young asexual people share their experiences and provide better understanding of asexual life in general.

                     

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and ebook editions in America and other countries at online and  offline booksellers. Visit my website at http://www.francesshaniparker.com/.    

Black Children and Healthcare Disparities (Video 2:48)

Healthcare disparities are inequalities that exist when members of certain populations do not benefit from the same healthcare as other groups. Healthcare disparities victimize adults and children. Unfortunately, for many Black people, disparities are cradle-to-grave tragedies beginning at birth. Disparities include not only the high percentages in disease rankings such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, but also procedures such as pain treatment.  A disturbing study of America’s emergency rooms reveals that Black children receive substantially less pain control for appendicitis.

In America, Black healthcare disparities are a sickness in the healthcare system, a systemic overt-covert racism or stereotypical racial perceptions of pain that is not being addressed effectively. This is not only a healthcare issue, but a moral one. While some may see this only as a Black issue, it isn’t. Healthcare disparities impact not only individuals victimized by them, but also their families, their communities, and the nation. With generational suffering and repercussions on many levels, illnesses create long-term economic burdens and major losses of productivity.

The following video addresses a study of America’s emergency room disparities revealing that Black children receive substantially less pain control for appendicitis than non-Black children.

Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers. Visit my website at www.francesshaniparker.com.