By Victoria Mejicanos
AFRO Staff Writer
vmejicanos@afro.com
When discussing how to best serve older residents, it can be easy to get lost in statistics and policies. Experts and seniors alike say what’s most important when considering the aging Black population is communication.
“When we think about seniors and look at the social determinants of health, I think that we don’t include them in a conversation,” said Pawn Johnson-Hunter, an adult gerontological nurse practitioner in Baltimore. Johnson-Hunter also works as a professor of practice at Morgan State University for their undergraduate nursing program.
“I believe seniors need to be more involved in the conversations that impact their community structurally,” said Johnson-Hunter.
(Photo Courtesy of The Waxter Center for Senior Citizens)
Johnson-Hunter believes elderly patients often face stereotypes about their level of independence and misinformation about resources available to them.
“Because of systemic racism and redlining, you have decreased access. You have people that are living in what are considered to be ‘hot spots,’ where they have access with housing but they’re [in] food deserts,” said Johnson-Hunter. “If there is healthcare in their area, the quality of the healthcare or the access to the services they need may not be available to them.”
Even in a city like Baltimore, where hospitals and clinics may appear plentiful, access is not always straightforward, Johnson-Hunter said. Insurance network restrictions can require seniors to travel farther for care, even when similar providers are located close to home.
For many seniors, these barriers are not just broad discussions but a reality that was on display at a Waxter Senior Center town hall hosted by the Baltimore City Health Department Feb. 11. The meeting addressed the center’s upcoming closure in May 2026 for renovations. Seniors pressed for clarity on next steps and how long a vital space could be closed.
Sarah Matthews, a member of the center, pushed for transparency.
“As older adults, we are not crazy,” said Matthews. “We may be older, but we also have doctorates. We have master’s degrees, so we would just like to be able to hear the truth.”
Matthews also reflected on what a senior center means for health and community.
“One of the issues that we face as older adults is social isolation,” she said. “If we don’t have a place to come, to exercise, to eat healthy and to communicate with each other, we are going to go back in our homes and be socially isolated again.”
For many older adults remaining connected to familiar environments is central to aging in place and maintaining independence.
Johnson-Hunter said that supporting this independence means communicating with seniors about what their needs are to ensure they have all the information necessary to make choices themselves.