ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the Mexican elders group of Latinos. It presents demographic changes currently underway that partially explain why population is so important to policymakers and to health and social services personnel. The chapter identifies changes that may occur among the elders' family systems and implications for service delivery systems. Mexican-American elders operate from a strong belief that good health is important. Therefore, it is accurate to expect that the cultural norms and health expectations would lead Mexican Americans to seek help for illnesses when they are physically ill or when they feel "out of balance." It is very important to recognize that Mexican-American elders are very unlikely to come into community-based agencies to receive services, even though they may be very frail. Stability of agencies and their continued presence in the community are extremely important to Mexican-American elders.
