The life and death of Miss Mildred. An elderly black woman.

Who is the elderly black woman? What do health care providers need to know about her life when they treat her for her numerous chronic ailments? What social factors are important when those chronic illnesses ultimately require decisions about withholding or withdrawing treatment? This article presents the life story of Miss Mildred: a composite of the history, family, community, religion, work, health, and death of an elderly black woman in the rural south. What providers know about elderly blacks comes from the expert; this article lets Miss Mildred speak for herself.