By Deborah Bailey,
Contributing Editor
Are you one of the millions of Black Americans impacted by Alzheimer’s disease? Maybe you are a caregiver, a sibling or a child with questions and concerns– and you’re not alone.
More than 20 percent of Black Americans will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their lifetime–more than twice the rate of White Americans.
Ironically, the neurologist, Solomon Carter Fuller, an American psychiatrist of African descent, was the first researcher to publish a comprehensive review of Alzheimer’s disease in 1912. The Liberian born doctor and researcher proved the disease was not the result of insanity and instead, represented a distinct disease of the brain.
Two thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women. The disease affects not only those diagnosed, but millions of loved ones and caregivers who are connected to the Alzheimer’s patient.
The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America has put together an education series to inform the country on the disorder and highlight brain health.
On Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Educating America Tour will make a virtual stop in Washington, D.C. Participants can now register and watch next month via Crowdcast.
After a welcome from President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., residents will hear from Dr. Raymond Scott Turner, MD, Ph.D., a professor of neurology and director of Georgetown University’s Memory Disorders Program.
Turner’s 45-minute session, “Preserving Brain Health with Aging,” will be followed by a 45-minute forum titled “Legal TE Financial Issues for the Alzheimer’s Patient,” led by Morris Klein, a certified elder law attorney and a member of the Montgomery County Commission on Aging.
A third session, “Trends and Disparities in Risk and Diagnosis of Dementia,” will be held from 11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET by Melinda C. Power, ScD, an associate professor of epidemiology and the director of the GW Institute for Brain Health and Dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America recently held the Women & Alzheimer’s Empowerment Forum, which featured women who spoke on their journeys in dealing with the disease in both a personal and professional capacity. The speakers talked about caring for loved ones and patients with Alzheimer’s on a daily basis.
Registration for the event is free and open to everyone. Individuals are encouraged to register in advance by visiting https://www.crowdcast.io/e/afa-washington-dc/register or calling AFA at 866-232-8484.
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