Morgan State University,
By Mylika Scatliffe,
AFRO Women’s Health Writer
The Alzheimer’s Association Community Forum will take place on Dec. 9, 2023, at Morgan State University. This will be the 19th year of the Pythias A. and Virginia I. Jones African American Community Forum on Memory Loss. This free annual event is designed to advance the health, education and well-being of the African American Community.
The aim of the forum is to improve community awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, its risk factors, including vascular disease and diabetes, the history of unequal health care access, and misinformation about the disease, as well as to decrease the high prevalence, incidence, and risk of dementia among African Americans.
The inspiration for the forum came from the late Pythias A and the late Virginia I. Jones and their five children: Senator Verna Jones- Rodwell, Ernestine Jones Olivet, Dr. Pythias D. Jones Jr. and the late Alvin S. Jones and Gilda Jones Garrett. After losing their mother in 1992 to Alzheimer’s disease, and their father to vascular dementia in 2004, the family began raising funds to create outreach and education initiatives about Alzheimer’s disease among African Americans.
Their first fundraising effort in 1992 was the request for donations to the Alzheimer’s Association in lieu of bereavement gifts to establish a Caregivers Support program for the Black community in Baltimore. After Pythias Jones’ death in 2004 from vascular dementia the family made a similar request. The raised funds were used to establish the community forum.
“The ongoing theme of the forum is finding hope through early detection, education, and research. Early detection is essential to access treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and to be aware of the behaviors people should take to reduce their risk of developing dementia,” said Marlyn Taylor, diversity and inclusion director program manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Maryland Chapter.
The setting of Baltimore city for this year’s forum is most fitting since Maryland has the nation’s highest rate for dementia, and Baltimore city is second in the nation for dementia prevalence, with 16.6 percent of citizens aged 65 and older living with some form of the disease.
“Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Younger onset, also known as early onset Alzheimer’s affects people younger than age 65. It’s much less common, but many people with early onset Alzheimer’s are in their 40s and 50s. They have families, careers, or are even caregivers themselves when Alzheimer’s disease strikes,” said Taylor.
There are still stigma, myths, and misinformation surrounding Alzheimer’s disease, especially among the Black community. Events like the forum are essential in dispelling these myths and breaking down the barriers for people to receive much needed and accurate information about early warning signs of the disease and available resources.
While the emphasis is on early detection, it is never too late to be educated and gain access to available resources.
“At more than one forum in the past I’ve been moved to a corner of a hallway to have a care consultation with someone who has received information at the forum and found it to be overwhelming, but they all say, ‘I wish I had known about the Alzheimer’s Association before my spouse or family member was diagnosed,’ or even when they were dying because they had just been doing everything by themselves,” said Taylor.
Taylor shared with the AFRO ten common warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease and how they differ from typical age -related forgetfulness:
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life and forgetting recently learned information. This is different from typical age-related forgetfulness, where an individual will eventually remember whatever may have slipped his or her mind.
- Challenges in making plans and solving problems. An example may be forgetting to pay major bills, as opposed to getting busy and forgetting a single bill due date.
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks, like forgetting how to drive home or the grocery store, or how to record a TV show.
- Confusion regarding times or places. This can include losing track of dates, seasons, or times.
- Trouble understanding visual images. Sufferers may experience vision changes which leads to problems judging distance and determining colors. This affects balance. Someone living with the disease may misjudge when walking up or down steps or from the sidewalk to the street and fall.
- Developing problems with words. An individual living with Alzheimer’s may find it difficult to speak or write or have trouble following a conversation. They may have trouble with simple vocabulary or skills like telling time in an analog clock.
- Misplacing personal belongings and not having the ability to retrace steps to find them. A person living with Alzheimer’s disease may accuse their caregivers of stealing their money or possessions when actually they have hidden or lost them.
- Withdrawal from work or social activities. Someone living with Alzheimer’s disease may realize they are declining and avoid social situations because of it, while the typical person may just occasionally want to spend an evening alone.
- Drastic changes in mood and personality. A common marker of Alzheimer’s disease is that the sufferer may be easily upset, suspicious, confused , or depressed, even when in their typical comfort zone, as opposed to the typical minor irritation when a routine is disrupted.
If Alzheimer’s disease is identified in its early stages, medications may be more effective and can slow down cognitive decline. This year’s forum is the place to be or anyone looking to connect with resources as patients or caregivers. The forum‘s annual attendance has grown from 65 to over 400 participants and is proud of its longstanding partnerships with the Jones Family, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center, the Baltimore City Health Department, Office of Aging and CARE Services, Coppin State University and Morgan State University.
This year’s event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Percy Griffin, the national director of the Scientific Engagement Office of Research at the Alzheimer’s Association home office. His information will include the latest updates on Alzheimer’s research. Additionally, there will be afternoon breakout sessions for information on legal and financial planning, long term care and how to choose a facility and local research regarding Alzheimer’s disease, and greetings from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Congressman Kweisi Mfume.
The Alzheimer’s Association is available 24/7 through their Helpline at 800-272-3900, or their website, www.alz.org. Their support groups, education services and care consultations are also available virtually. To find a virtual support group or education program, go to https://www.commuityresourcefinder.org or call the Helpline.
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