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African-American Outreach
I n celebration of Black History Month, the Citywide Mental Health Coalition for the Black
Elderly held its Forum at the Chapter for a second year. Ninety attendees gathered to hear
Dr. Georges J. Casimir, Associate Director of Geriatric Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical
Center, speak on The Cultural Aspects of Memory Loss in African-Americans. Attendeees commented
on his ability to communicate, with clarity, the complicated factors involved in treating dementia.
“Community Resources for the Patient with Dementia: Availability, Access and Utilization” followed,
presented by Lorna Walcott-Brown, MS, Director of Social Services for the Brooklyn Alzheimer’s
Disease Assistance Center (ADAC), and Sharon E. McKenzie, PhD, from NYU School of Medicine,
Alzheimer’s Disease Center. A lively Q&A discussion followed. The audience of professional
providers and other community members responded with great interest. This coalition, of which
the Alzheimer’s Association, NYC Chapter is a member, is an important affiliate of the Chapter
throughout the five boroughs. Its goal is to ensure that treatment of African-American elders
is culturally competent and that adequate education about the availability of services in their
communities is provided. The dynamic partnership of African-American Outreach and the
Citywide Mental Health Coalition for the Black Elderly is widely recognized and received.
As we mentioned in our last issue, the Chapter celebrated Black History Month with a special
luncheon for African-American sorority and fraternity members. Several requests for outreach
presentations resulted. Among them were Friendship Baptist Church in Harlem — Women’s Health Forum,
and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) — Women’s History Month Celebration. We
also received a request from the National Council of Negro Women. Several sorority chapters have asked us to
notify them of our programs and services. There is a growing interest to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease
and other dementias as well as the Alzheimer’s Association.
During the Spring season, African-American Outreach renewed it efforts to churches throughout the five
boroughs. If you would like us to come to your church group or other group meetings, please call us.
African-American Outreach is interested in hearing from you. Please contact me at 646-744-2922 or by e-mail at rirving@alznyc.org. If you
are a member of or know organizations where we could speak about Alzheimer’s disease and the resources available
at the NYC Chapter.
Chinese Outreach
I am pleased to announce the NYC Chapter has received funding from the Van Ameringen
Foundation, Inc., for development of a Chinese-language information package for Chinese
consumers and family caregivers. This packet will help the Chinese community to better
understand Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, as well as highlighting services and resources
available to them. We are also compiling information for a Chinese/English brochure on
Alzheimer’s and dementia, co-sponsored by the Queens Public Library, which will be included
in the information package.
On March 8th, the Chapter’s first Chinese-language support group was held in Manhattan’s
Chinatown. Fourteen participants shared their feelings and experiences in caring for a loved
one with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. The Chinatown support group will be held
on the 2nd Sunday of every month. A second Chinese-language support group in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn began in June 2009.
In addition to support groups, two seminars in Chinese were held in Sunset Park,
Brooklyn: Legal & Financial Planning on April 18th, and Medicaid Home Care on May 9th.
Family members of those aff ected by the disease had a chance to learn about legal issues
and the Medicaid system, free of charge. We hope to continue to extend services to the
Sunset Park community, which has a large Chinese population.
There is no doubt the economic crisis has aff ected consumers and family caregivers
in the Chinese community. Due to budget cuts, funding for social services for the
elderly has been reduced or eliminated. For example, some of the social adult day care
programs were eliminated or now require participants to pay their own fee.
Many family caregivers are losing their jobs, homes and savings due to this economic
crisis, adding to the stress of caring for a loved one. Many resources are needed in the Chinese
community, especially for those with a language barrier. The Chinese Information Package will be a valuable
resource for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, their family members and caregivers.
To obtain information about Chinese-language seminars, trainings and support groups, please contact me at 646-744-2951 or by e-mail at fllau@alznyc.org.
Latino Outreach
Our History
L atino outreach at the Chapter was initiated in the 90’s as a result of the increased
number of Latinos seeking services. At the beginning, there was limited ability to
help individuals who did not speak English. There were times when calls were
answered by one of the administrative assistants who served as interpreter between
the caller and the Helpline counselor.
By the mid 90’s, the NYC Chapter attempted to create a Latino Task Force or
Advisory Group to better understand the needs of the NYC Latino community
aff ected by Alzheimer’s. This group aimed to raise awareness about the disease not
only among relatives, but also Latino professionals.
In the late 90’s, the need to support individuals from various ethnic groups was
growing. It was then that the Chapter launched an initiative to meet the needs of
other communities. The fi rst support group for family caregivers in Spanish ran for
a period of 8 years.
In 2001, the Chapter’s priority was to expand services to the underserved and
diverse communities. Latinos were the largest group and had the greatest number of
seniors. Therefore, a bilingual/Spanish-speaking worker was hired to manage a new program: Diversity &
Outreach, offering services to an ethnically diverse population with an emphasis on the Latino community.
Some of the services included community presentations, educational seminars, care consultation, media
presentations — all dependent upon positive relationship building with leaders of the community.
In 2005, the Diversity and Outreach Program expanded with the addition of African-American Outreach.
Since then, the Latino Outreach Program has expanded its programs and services throughout New York
City’s five boroughs.
Today, presentations in Spanish are conducted to increase awareness and dispel myths about dementia at
senior centers, churches, community centers, mental health clinics, housing facilities, adult day care centers,
hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, libraries and other social and community organizations.
Latinos are learning that although there is no cure, quality of life for people with dementia can be enhanced
and they don’t just have to live with the disease.
We are also proud that we offer training to home care workers and family members in Spanish, and know
that the demand for these trainings is only going to increase.
Considering that Latinos, like other groups, have specific immigration issues, we formed alliances with
some of the Hispanic Consulates (Mexican & Colombian) to reach out to the immigrant community at
large. This strategy allows us to visit the consulates on a regular basis and disseminate information through
literature and presentations, answer questions and provide support at many levels during various events. We
also counsel long-distance caregivers, many of whom were silently witnessing the deterioration of their loved
ones overseas without fully understanding the disease nor having any guidance.
We also have a presence internationally. In Colombia, we made contact with some of the local associations,
contributed literature and made presentations for staff at nursing homes and community centers. Consequently,
the work of the NYC Chapter was recognized in local magazines and newsletters.
Locally, we see an increase in the number of people on our mailing list, doubling over the last 2 years. As
we go into the community to disseminate information, more people contact us needing our help or wanting
to learn.
People contact us seeking guidance about taking their family member for an evaluation, legal advice, and
finding an adult day care program that has the capacity to serve Spanish speaking individuals. They also want
to learn about the process of applying for home care services, how to access supportive counseling, and information
about participating in a support group. We were pleased that in 2008 we added a full-time bi-lingual
Helpline Associate, and launched an outreach program to the Chinese community.
We are proud to have developed En Español, the Chapter’s 16-page quarterly newsletter in Spanish, which
contains information for and by caregivers, professionals and people with a diagnosis. The information
covers many topics, including behavior management, treatment, research and caregivers’ personal stories. It is
distributed through the numerous community resources and agencies we are in touch with on a regular basis,
as well as to individuals on our mailing list. We are most grateful to The Achelis Foundation for its generous
support of En Español. We are also able to circulate and publicize relevant information in Spanish through
our e-Newsletter and Web site www.alznyc.org/espanol.
When it comes to working with the Latino community, we strive to ensure that individuals are connected
with the appropriate services and resources. We have come a long way and, despite these difficult economic
times, our goal is to continue to provide quality service to all who need us.
Please feel free to contact me at 646-744-2949 or by e-mail if you need assistance or additional information. Also, if
you would like to receive the Chapter’s Revista En Español, please contact our
24-hour Helpline at 800-272-3900 or visit
www.alznyc.org/espanol to sign up for our mailing list.
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