More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. And blacks and Hispanics may be at a greater risk for it, according to a new report from the Alzheimer’s Association.
The organization found that black Americans are about two times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than whites, and Hispanics face about 1.5 times the risk.
Why? The report delves into the impact of health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, conditions that are highly prevalent in the African-American and Hispanic communities. Such factors increase risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Even worse? Lower income and education is more common in the black and Hispanic communities, meaning those who have dementia may not even know it or receive a later diagnosis because of the disparities.
“Alzheimer’s disease is the single largest, looming, unaddressed public health threat facing the nation, but we now know the threat is even more substantial in the African-American and Hispanic communities,” said Harry Johns, the association’s president and CEO. “These groups are more likely to have Alzheimer’s, less likely to know it, and, as a result, less likely to receive available treatments and supportive services that can help them cope with the disease.”
For more about Home Instead’s Alzheimer’s and dementia care, visit our website to learn more. Or simply call our Richmond home care office at 804.527.1100.
P.S. We serve the Northern Neck area as well, with a Tappahannock home care office. Also, there are plenty of activity suggestions for seniors at http://getmommoving.com.
