NHCOA

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS MANUAL?

Additionally, this Manual is a how-to guide for SHIP staff for reaching Spanish-monolingual community members with guidance on Medicare enrollment and benefits. It also instructs on how to navigate cultural differences, and how to bridge linguistic and educational gaps in health issues among Hispanic seniors.

Hispanic older adults face many challenges to accessing health benefits, as many do not understand and lack the language skills and health knowledge necessary to navigate the national medical system. This situation is critical, as Latino seniors are more likely than many other populations to suffer from diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases that require monitoring and treatment.

The manual has five chapters:

• Chapter 1: Who Are Latinos?
• Chapter 2: How to Work with Hispanic Beneficiaries
• Chapter 3: Medicare and Other Health Plans: How to Assist Latino Beneficiaries
• Chapter 4: How to Refer Latino Beneficiaries to Other Agencies
• Chapter 5: Applying the Concepts

This Manual provides information about how to work with Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries, and offers practical suggestions on how to use best practices for community outreach, education, and support of Spanish-monolingual communities.

As SHIP staffers will be working in a wide range of settings, and among people in a variety of Hispanic communities with specific cultural and socio-demographic characteristics, this Manual is intended to be adapted for local situations and beneficiaries’ needs.

The materials and strategies outlined in the Manual are based on NHCOA’s expertise and research, which have demonstrated that these are the most effective ways to reach out to and support Hispanic communities on health issues. Combined with toolkits and educational materials developed by NHCOA, this Manual offers evidence-based practices that will provide SHIP staff with the necessary skills and resources to implement the program and successfully reach and support Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries.

The first step in using this Manual is to understand who Latinos are, and what their general socio-demographic and cultural characteristics are. Next, SHIP staff are strongly encouraged to review the guidelines on how to work with Latino beneficiaries, which offer materials and best practices for outreach to Latino seniors. The third chapter details Medicare and other health plans and how to assist Latino beneficiaries in accessing these programs. The fourth chapter describes how to refer Latino seniors to other agencies for additional assistance on health and social well-being. The final chapter describes how to apply the concepts and resources provided along this Manual.