Alzheimer's Association Looking to Support Families of Color

The Alzheimer's Association held a forum on Monday to discuss and listen to how Alzheimer's disease is affecting communities of color, reports CBS 19 . The object was to make community partners aware of these issues in order to better help families in need. Senior Director Tina Thomas said the forum considered barriers and gaps within the African-American community, noting that the most frequent problem concerned how people claim to have a lack of trust and care with their doctors. "African-Americans are disproportionately impacted by this disease, and we have to find a way to get beyond the mistrust and get people the right information into the hands of people who need it the most," Thomas urged. She added that while families cannot physically be with their loved ones in long-term care communities, she wants to guarantee that they have the appropriate resources to still feel connected. Thomas said the forum will meet in two weeks in the hope of finding better ways to support these families and supply them with such resources.