How Black Churches Are Raising Dementia Awareness
The New York Times • • health
Key Points:
- The Alter Dementia Summit, held at Impact Church in Atlanta, is a three-day conference aimed at educating the Black faith community about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, blending faith and science.
- The event featured presentations from experts like Vonetta Dotson, chief of neuropsychology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who emphasized cognitive health strategies including Bible study to challenge the brain.
- Black Americans aged 65 and older are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s, with about one in five diagnosed compared to one in ten white Americans, and face delays in diagnosis that limit treatment options.
- Contributing factors to these disparities include stigma, lack of awareness about dementia in the Black community, and distrust of the medical establishment due to historical and ongoing discrimination.