Increase in Alzheimer’s within Latino Population?
Kaiser Health News ran a story recently about the increase in Alzheimer’s cases amongst Latinos. ‘Tsunami’ Of Alzheimer’s Cases Among Latinos Raises Concerns Over Costs, Caregiving citing to a recent report explains
Across the United States, stories [of people with Alzheimer’s] are becoming more common, particularly among Latinos — the fastest growing minority in the country.
With no cure in sight, the number of U.S. Latinos with Alzheimer’s is expected rise by more than eight times by 2060, to 3.5 million, according to a report by the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging and the Latinos Against Alzheimer’s network.
Advanced age is the leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s doubles about every five years after age 65. As a group, Latinos are at least 50 percent more likely than whites to have Alzheimer’s, in part because they tend to live longer, the report notes.
Caregiving (which we have blogged about on several occasions) is of course an important issue for all of us, but in particular, this story explains, “[a]bout 1.8 million Latino families nationwide care for someone with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. And while the Roybal report shows that Latino families are less likely than whites to use formal care services, such as nursing home care, institutionalized care is becoming more common among these families.” Although there are some in nursing homes, limited resources factor in to the family’s ability to turn to outside help for the elder with Alzheimer’s.
The story covers the economics of care, available community programs, the importance of public education, and resources for the family.
When seeking support, the best place to start is at a local community group or center — a church, a nonprofit, a United Way office, or the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter, for example, Mizis said. These groups will most likely refer caregivers to a county’s Agency on Aging or a state’s Department of Aging.