e likelihood that many such individuals may be burdened by the ill effects of decreased education, income and occupational status in comparison to Caucasian older people, mandates that social workers function both as counselors and as advocates. To that end, recognizing the barriers to equitable treatment of and sensitivity to ethnic minorities who are also influenced by the effects of aging must be matched by culturally appropriate interventions at both the counselor/client and the system/client levels.
At the same time, Burlingame (1999) does make reference to the fact that age per se brings with it a number of fairly constant effects that are almost universal. Older clients, regardless of their race or ethnicity, are likely to experience physical, social, and psychological problems that are characteristic of their state of life and point in the life cycle.
Poverty, though often associated with ethnic minority groups, impacts upon Caucasians as well; lack of family support systems may, in fact, be more prevalent among Caucasian-Americans than among selected ethnic and racial groups in which strong kinship ties and obligations are present. Making blanket assumptions and attributions regarding status or presenting proble
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