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July marked National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about mental health conditions currently prevailing among diverse groups, however we should take care of our mental health every month. The aim is not just to shed light on these issues' gravity, but also to break down the stigma walls surrounding mental health in these communities. In recognition of this, I want to share and discuss findings from a report released at the 2022 Alzheimer's...
African American older adults are disproportionately affected by diabetes, which affects more than 10% of African American adults. Without proper management, diabetes may increase the risk for other diseases including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. One way to understand this concept is to think about how sticky sugar becomes when you caramelize it in a frying pan. This is the same process that occurs in our arteries, since the average...
Equitable access to care, services and supports for older adults and their caregivers has always been one of the main pillars of The Diverse Elders Coalition, founded in 2010, which comprises six member organizations representing African American/Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian American, Hispanic/Latinx and LGBT+ communities. The coalition’s partnership with the American Society on Aging (ASA) reflects a shared commitment across the Coalition, the ASA membership and the broader A...
As is now well-known, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color. For American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, the virus has proven to be extremely deadly for people living in both rural and urban settings. Additionally, COVID-19 rates may be higher in this group due to persistent health disparities such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease among AI/AN populations. Perhaps counterintuitively, cultural traditions, beliefs and practices among...
In the United States, American Indians and Alaska Natives have a greater chance of having type 2 diabetes than any other racial group. This is troubling because without medical intervention, the progression of type 2 diabetes may lead to other conditions and diseases, including high blood pressure, kidney failure and heart disease, itself the number one cause of death in the United States. In the United States, American Indians and Alaska Native are 50% more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic whites. In addition, 33% of the American Indian...
