Identification and characteristics of older homeless African American women.

More older African American women are homeless, with this issue receiving little research attention. An exploratory study examined demographics and health characteristics of 100 women. Their mean age was 52.55 years (SD = 3.57) and ranged from 50 to 74 years. Most were unmarried, homeless more than three months, reported more than two diagnoses, and self-rated their health as fair or good. Length of time homeless did not significantly influence self-reported health. Medical diagnoses increased with time homeless, and rates of some chronic diseases were higher than domiciled African American elders 60 years of age and over Nearly half (48.5%) of women who were homeless more than 12 months reported emotional/mental illness.