African Americans are twice as likely as white people to get Alzheimer’s, but are much less likely to be diagnosed.The same disparity exists for Latinos, who are 1.5 times more likely than white people to develop the disease, yet also lag in diagnoses.
“I think we’re in denial a lot of times,” said Chris Mason, who has taken her mother Roberta Randolph, an Alzheimer’s patient, into her Oakland home to help care for her. “Our parents — we look up to them and they’re our leaders. The thought of them not being able to function, it’s scary.”
“There’s a real need to increase awareness and work with health care providers on how they can do a better job with their African American patients,” said Dr. Ladson Hinton, director of the U.C. Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center Education Core.
“There also is a real need to work with the community to try to prevent Alzheimer’s,” he said. It is not entirely clear why African Americans and Latinos are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, although several theories exist.
“There aren’t any known genetic factors that could explain the difference,” Hinton notes. Alzheimer’s gradually destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior that begin to affect all aspects of a person’s life.
The causes of Alzheimer’s are unknown, but high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and stroke are risk factors for developing the disease. These risk factors are prevalent in African American, Latino and low-income communities.
“Things that keep the heart healthy also keep the brain healthy,” Hinton said. “Staying active both socially and intellectually is a really good thing, [along with] reducing stress in your life. Paying attention to these lifestyle things is important.”
Although an early diagnosis can be extremely beneficial, many family members may be reluctant to get a relative tested and may attempt to care for their loved one on their own, experts say. “They don’t want anyone else taking care of family,” Taylor said.
(photo courtesy: BET)
