+Are you taking care for someone with Alzheimer?

The San Diego Alzheimer's Association is here to help those whose lives are affected by Alzheimer's disease. Whether you have the disease, or you have a loved one or family member who suffers from it, we can help with programs, education, advocacy, and information. We invite you to explore and use as many of these resources as you need.

The San Diego Chapter has three offices to serve you.

Alzheimer’s Health Education

New research shows Alzheimer’s disease, research recruitment, treatments, public education must account for cultural beliefs

 Research suggests that culturally tailored health education programs can be useful in raising awareness about health problems, but such programs need to be informed by continued investigation of the impact of race, ethnicity, and culture on perceptions of illness.

There are significant differences in awareness and beliefs about Alzheimer’s disease among ethnic groups, and health education programs should be tailored to account for these different understandings, according to new research presented at the first Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia.

Three independent studies looked at African American, Latino and among American communities to examine their beliefs about causes and preventions of Alzheimer’s and to determine how their views were influenced by culture.

Significantly more people in the African American and Latino study groups identified stress as a significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s when compared to Whites. In the Hmong American community, religious affiliation influenced the perceived cause of dementia in older people and a majority of caregivers viewed elder confusion as a normal part of aging.

“Alzheimer’s impacts all ethnicities and, as these studies show, an effective outreach program must account for existing and meaningful cultural perceptions about this disease and keep it in mind when designing health education and outreach programs for diverse audiences,” said Peggy Dilworth-Anderson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a member of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Board of Directors.

“Minority populations will see dramatic increases in Alzheimer’s in their communities in the future so we need to act now to ensure that these communities are knowledgeable about the disease.”

Latinos and Whites have some mutual understanding about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease in these areas: genes, trauma, nutrition, aging and brain deterioration. For both groups, “genes” was identified most frequently as the cause for Alzheimer’s. However, Latinos had an entirely unique category of cause – mental illnesses or negative emotions that feature “stress.” In fact, Latinos were more likely to mention “stress” and Whites more likely to mention “genes,” “plaques,” “lack of brain activity” and “environment.”

“Understanding people’s perceptions about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease is crucial,” said Karlawish. “These views influence their opinions about how best to prevent and treat it, and whether to participate in research.”

“Studies like these three help the development and dissemination of culturally appropriate materials so we can broaden the community we reach with information, support, services and research.”