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Hill said he included topics such as how targeting chronic
stress and blood pressure self-care can prevent cognitive
decline in African Americans, and Alzheimer’s disease and
COVID-19 because “you have to acknowledge
that these are difficult times
with caregiving, caregiving while reducing risk for
COVID-19. There is a high level of anxiety and stress, but I
believe this is a real opportunity for us to pursue equity
in terms of engaging those communities with information,
care and support.”
The Dr. James S. Jackson
Seminar on Health Equity and Alzheimer's Disease, which will
be from 5-6:30 p.m., will have speakers from The Ohio State
University; The West Virginia University Rockefeller
Neuroscience Institute; the University of Michigan; Michigan
State University; and the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease
Research Center. Hill said it is important to include and
apply health disparities research in the field of dementia
because “this research highlights contextual factors for
Alzheimer’s and other dementia risk, in the spirit of Dr.
James Jackson’s rigorous research at the University of
Michigan.” For example, assessing cardiovascular health over
a life course and, stress coping “may be part of pathways to
Alzheimer’s and other dementia risk for disproportionately
affected populations,” Hill said.
Just like COVID-19,
Alzheimer’s and dementia disproportionately impacts
communities of color. For example, according to the
Alzheimer’s Association:
·
African Americans are about twice as likely as whites to
have Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Hispanics are 1.5
times more likely to have Alzheimer’s.
·
African Americans are more prone to risk factors for
vascular disease — like diabetes, high blood pressure and
high cholesterol — which may also be risk factors for
Alzheimer’s disease and stroke-related dementia.
·
African Americans and Hispanics are less likely to have a
dementia diagnosis.
·
New research from Case Western Reserve University shows
African Americans with dementia have close to three times
the risk of being infected with COVID-19 as white
individuals with dementia.
Hill said while growing up
in College Park, GA, he witnessed challenges for accessing
quality health care. He initially went into public health
and developed his interest in health disparities research
because he wanted to study “the factors that kept important
resources like quality health care from being shared
equitably in all communities.”
Today, “this is an urgent
opportunity for the Alzheimer’s Association, our chapters
and volunteers, to encourage people with information and to
take advantage of the resources that we have for them” like
the Association’s 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.
Eric VanVlymen, Ohio
Regional Leader of the Alzheimer’s Association, said at the
national level the Alzheimer’s Association is committed to
not only funding diverse initiatives – like the new IDEAS
study, whose goal is to enroll 4,000 African American and
Latino participants to determine if amyloid PET scans
improve diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease - but
also committed to working with national partners to ensure
that early detection and diagnosis initiatives reach all
communities. Locally, the Alzheimer’s Association is
analyzing service levels and looking for community partners
who can help the organization work on solutions and outreach
to diverse populations.
“Being there in the
community and working within the community I think is so
critically important,” Hill said. “It’s an unparalleled
opportunity to translate research findings, and engage all
communities using community-based participatory strategies.”
When people leave the
March 3 event, Hill said he wants “everyone to consider how
they can contribute to diversity and inclusion and become
ambassadors for a shared vision for health equity as we
really look to a world without Alzheimer’s and all other
dementia for all communities.”
To register for the Dr.
James S. Jackson Seminar on Health Equity and Alzheimer's
Disease, visit:
alz.org/jackson-seminar.
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