How Alzheimer's Disease Impacts African Americans

by Rowena Rye

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking, and behavior, and it is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a loss of intellectual ability (thinking, remembering and reasoning) so severe that it interferes with an individual's daily functioning, and eventually results in death. At present there is no cure for Alzheimer's, but medications are available that can help to delay the progression, and to possibly keep a loved one at home longer. It is the fourth leading cause of death in adults, after heart disease, cancer and stroke.

What is currently known?

The prevalence, incidence and cumulative risk of developing Alzheimer's disease appears to be much higher in African Americans than in Caucasians, even when considering the cultural bias inherent in current screening and assessment tools. Furthermore, the number of African Americans entering the age of risk (65 and over) for Alzheimer's disease is growing rapidly. In 1995 the number of African Americans age 65 was 2.7 million. By the year 2030, this number will more than double, with a projected 6.9 million African Americans over the age of 65.

Little research is presently available examining how Alzheimer's affects African Americans, but in examining the causes of Alzheimer's, we know that for Caucasians, heredity plays a significant role, with the risk of developing late onset Alzheimer's (after age 65) linked to a gene on chromosome 19. However, for African Americans, the gene does not appear to be related to the development of Alzheimer's disease. For African Americans, vascular disease appears to be the high risk factor in the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease.

• Having a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol doubles the risk of getting Alzheimer's.
  
  
• 65% of African American Medicare beneficiaries have hypertension, compared to 51% of Caucasian beneficiaries.
  
  
• African Americans have a 60% higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes a condition that contributes directly to vascular disease.
  
  
• African Americans have a higher rate of vascular dementia than white Americans.

We also know that Alzheimer's disease is underreported in the African American community, and that often a diagnosis is made at a much later stage than for Caucasians. The consequences of this are that our elders and their families are not getting the information, support and planning assistance needed to effectively help them to prepare for and to meet the unique challenges presented in caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or a related disorder. Furthermore, opportunities for timely medical intervention and treatment, which is most effective early in the disease, are being lost. Although these medications are expensive, there are prescription drug programs that may help with these costs.

What is Being Done to Better Meet the Needs of African Americans with Alzheimer's?

It is clear that more must be done to provide information, help and support to African Americans who are being impacted by Alzheimer's.

The Alzheimer's Association is working to improve care and support for people with Alzheimer's disease, and in collaboration with the Administration on Aging, model programs are being developed that address finding new ways to reach historically underserved communities. As the largest private funder of Alzheimer's research, the Alzheimer's Association provides research grants to both encourage new African American researchers, and to fund research on African Americans and Alzheimer's disease at a number of research centers throughout the United States. 

Caregiver Support Group Available

In Seattle and King County, the Alzheimer's Association sponsors an African American Caregiver Group to meet the needs of African American families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or a related memory loss disorder. The African American Caregiver Group is culturally focused and provides an accepting, caring and confidential place for caregivers to share, learn from and encourage each other. The group can also help families learn about and connect with community resources, such as adult day care and transportation services.

The group meets between 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month at the Providence Medical Center at 500 17th Avenue in the Casey Room. Group facilitator Letitia London can be contacted at (206) 772-1082 for more information.

The Alzheimer's Association also has a 24/7 Helpline, a Resource Library, classes and speakers available to community groups.

For more information about special outreach services through the Alzheimer's Association, or to obtain a copy of African Americans and Alzheimer's Disease: The Silent Epidemic, contact Rowena Rye, Director of Community Resources, at 206-363-5500 or 800 848-7097, or email me at Rowena.Rye@alz.org

A list of more caregiver support groups can be found on the Alzheimer's Association of Washington's website.