Rush University Medical Center, Center for Community Health Equity, Rob Paral & Associates
December 2020
The Rush Department of Social Work & Community Health, the Rush Center for Excellence in Aging, the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the Center for Community Health Equity decided to collaborate on a project to better understand the current undocumented older adult population and estimate its expected growth over the next decade. These aforementioned partners at Rush University Medical Center worked with Rob Paral & Associates to find these estimates, and subsequently convened a collaborative of individuals with both personal experience, as well as professional experience working with the undocumented community, older adults, and/or their intersections. As the U.S. population ages, and the older adult population diversifies ethnically, racially, linguistically and economically, this will also include the aging of the undocumented community. This report strives to take into account the aging of the undocumented community, specifically when we discuss the future of aging and health care services. This report includes the first estimate of Illinois’ current undocumented older adult population, as well as calculations of how the population will continue to grow.