Alzheimer’s Association Works to Adapt to Increasingly Diverse Elderly Population

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Alzheimer's Association is beginning to overhaul some of its "long-standing practices" in an effort to better serve an increasing number of minority seniors. According to the group, the number of African Americans age 65 and older is expected to increase by more than 100%, from 2.7 million to 6.9 million, over the next 30 years. That increase is particularly important because blacks are up to 100% more likely to get Alzheimer's disease than whites, according to a report the group released in February. By 2052, non-Hispanic whites will account for only 64% of the elderly, down from 83%, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The Alzheimer's Association only recently has begun to address the issue, the Tribune reports. Stephen McConnell, interim president and CEO of the association, said, "We woke up one day and realized the elderly population was becoming more diverse, and we weren't prepared. We are principally a white organization, and while that's changing, it's not changing fast enough." Last week, the group sponsored a day-long seminar focusing on dementia in minority and ethnic populations as part of the annual conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging. Earlier this year, representatives from the Alzheimer's Association met for the first time with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and told them that African Americans who are at risk for Alzheimer's are poorly screened, underdiagnosed and underrepresented in clinical trials, in part due to ethnic and cultural biases (Graham, Chicago Tribune, 4/11).