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The purpose of this study was to re-examine racial and gender differences in home and community-based services utilization. Using the 1999 National Long Term Care Survey, the Anderson-Newman (1995) health behavioral model, social supports and structural factors were used to examine predictors of service use among four in-home and two community-based services. The results showed that race did not have a significant main effect on service use, but gender had a significant main effect for housework, home delivered meals, and congregate meals. Using an interaction term, older white women reported higher usage of housework. Among the predictors, enabling factors had the strongest effect on the use of personal care/nursing, home delivered meals, transportation and senior centers’ services. The results also indicated the importance of social supports and structural factors, particularly service awareness, in predicting service use. Implications for policies and practice to improve community outreach, access and utilization of services by different racial groups of elders are discussed.

Using the theoretical frameworks of public diplomacy and public relations, we mapped how the Chinese government has used panda imagery to build its national brand on Twitter and how this ‘panda diplomacy’ has facilitated its para-diplomatic actions. Our findings uncover new attempts by the Chinese government to engage in digital diplomacy. Mobilizing panda imagery on Twitter enhanced friendly relations with foreign political leaders and people and established a friendly and peaceful image of China on Twitter.