30/03/2023
Diversity & Inclusivity in the Alzheimer and Dementia fields???
Did you know that during the early 1900's an African psychiatrist was a key member of Dr Alois Alzheimer’s team?
During the early 1900s Dr Alzheimer selected several doctors from around the globe to be his research assistants in Germany, one of them was African born Dr Solomon Carter Fuller, the grandson of enslaved people in Virginia who purchased their freedom and moved to Liberia. Dr Carter Fuller’s work includes some of the earliest publications on dementia in America?
Moving forward to 2023 & focusing specifically on African Caribbean, African American and all people of African descent both here in the UK and in North America living with Alzheimer’s & related dementia, various research highlights that these communities are at far greater risk of developing the disease, as well as greater cognitive impairment & symptom severity than white participants.
If Dr Solomon Carter Fuller was still with us, may he be asking the type of questions that many of us are frequently asking?
- What are the major organisations and charities doing to address such disparities & provide appropriate support?
- In what ways can they all do more?
- In what ways are service providers utilising the consistent research findings to adapt services, ensuring that they are increasingly accommodating, accessible, and appropriate, for the needs of these communities?
- On the podium at major national conferences that so many of us attend, where are the voices of the Black leaders in the field sharing their insights, experience & good practice?
- Why are Black individuals often not being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or related dementias & why are too many seeking treatment only when the disease process is more advanced?
- Is there referral bias or differences in diagnostic thresholds applied by providers?
- Do Black patients have to present with more severe clinical presentations, to warrant a diagnosis of dementia from physicians than white patients?
- How culturally inclusive are the services available for us?
- Are staff truly trained and empowered in the delivery of culturally responsive services?
- People of African descent are frequently not part of important studies, and given the lack of evidence collected, do we have the assurance that current drugs & therapies are fully effective for our communities?
- In what ways are our colleagues in the field personally and professionally contributing in reducing such disparities?
120 years on, we all have a role to play in ensuring that our services are culturally inclusive and responsive to the requirements of those from these communities.
Leadership from yourself can come in a variety of forms.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams.
Cultural Appropriate Resources - Always here to Provide Support.
https://culturalappropriateresources.com/
