Rochester forum addresses racial disparities in dementia research and care

The Edgerton Community Center hosted a health forum on Thursday, March 5, focused on addressing the racial disparities in dementia research and patient care. In attendance were 250 people, including dementia patients, their families, caregivers, and members of the community.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) notes that disparities do exist across racial/ethnic groups, which may lead to misdiagnosis or lack of appropriate treatment for patients struggling with dementia. In one 10-year study, the NIH concluded that “non-Hispanic black persons with dementia and fee-for-service Medicare were at higher risk of underdiagnosis than their non-Hispanic white counterparts in the US.”

NIH reported that members of the Black and Hispanic communities were found to be at greater risk of dementia compared to the White community. And the reason for the ethnic differences may be a complicated mix of “biological, behavioral, sociocultural, and environmental factors including socioeconomic determinants such as education, income, occupation, wealth, and access to health care.”

Although racial disparities in dementia have somewhat declined over time for the black community, they still exist. And it’s partially through educating the community, such as Thursday’s Rochester health forum, that will help make more strides toward narrowing the ethnic disparity gap in dementia care and treatment.