|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
| SEARCH | SUBSCRIBE | ||
 |
Advocates Cite Alzheimer Disparities
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Citing evidence that black Americans may be more at risk for Alzheimer's disease than whites, advocates are pressing for more research money and better ways to count how many people have the brain-destroying disease. It is one of several efforts this week by the Congressional Black Caucus to focus on narrowing the health gap between blacks and whites. Later, members of the group will be pushing the importance on early prostate cancer screening. The key to eliminating racial disparities across health care is more education and better access to care, said Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen, president of the Congressional Black Caucus, a Democrat who represents the Virgin Islands in Congress. ``This is the civil rights issue of the decade,'' Christian-Christensen said. ``We need to be vocal. We need to be active in our advocacy.'' She said people also need to be more aggressive in demanding testing and treatment, but it's difficult given a history of problems getting help. ``I really think for people who have been coming up against a wall for a long time, it kind of kills your spirit,'' she said Monday. ``You get used to getting sick and dying at early ages.'' On Tuesday, the Alzheimer's Association and the black caucus are taking up a variety of studies that suggest blacks may be more likely to get Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disease that causes memory loss, disorientation, depression and decay of bodily functions. About 4 million Americans have been diagnosed with the disease. Blacks face increased risk for a variety of reasons. For instance, they are already at a higher risk of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which puts them at a higher risk for Alzheimer's. ``Alzheimer's disease is a `silent epidemic' emerging among African-Americans that has crept up on our community while most of us weren't paying attention,'' said a statement from Orien Reid, chair of the Alzheimer's Association board. ``These studies are sending us a clear wake-up call.'' The association is asking Congress to increase research money for the National Institutes of Health and to expand a grant program at the Administration on Aging that looks for ways to research specific communities dealing with Alzheimer's. They also want a new program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that would expand community outreach efforts and develop a system to accurately report the prevalence of the disease, which is difficult to diagnose and therefore difficult to track. On Thursday, the Congressional Black Caucus plans to push the importance of early screening for prostate cancer, said Paul Brathwaite, policy director for the caucus. Brathwaite noted research that shows black men tend to get diagnosed later than other men, decreasing their chance of survival. The event is scheduled for Valentine's Day, he said, to emphasize that men usually get tested at the urging of a loved one.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Action on Aging distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
|
