Promoting brain health equity and uniting Latino-serving organizations and leaders to stop Alzheimer’s.
About Us
LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s marshalls resources and action to address the growing impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia on our nation’s 55 million Latino families. Through a network of cross-sector stakeholders, LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s spearheads strategic convening and coalition building, legislative advocacy, and culturally tailored education and brain health promotion efforts across the country.
Latinos and Alzheimer’s Disease
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the Latino population will double from approximately 49 million in 2009 to 106 million people by the year 2050. In fact, by 2044, more than half of all Americans are projected to belong to a minority group. The growth of the Latino community will have tremendous implications for our nation’s health, education, and workforce sectors. It is essential that our nation’s policymakers and community leaders better understand these consequences to adequately address the public health needs of an increasingly multicultural society.
Shifting Demographics
According to the Administration on Aging, between 2008 and 2030 the Latino population aged 65 years and older will increase by 224% compared to a 65% increase for the non-Latino white population in the same age category. There are approximately four million Latinos over the age of 65 living in the United States today, twice as many as in 2000. The flip side of this increased longevity includes an increased risk for Alzheimer’s. The chances of developing the disease double approximately every five years after age 65, and after age 85 the risk reaches nearly 50%.
Latino families are highly under-resourced in terms of income, retirement benefits, and pension benefits. As the Latino population ages, a growing number of Latino communities, families, and systems of care will be confronted by increasing rates of Alzheimer’s with the fewest resources to manage it.
Risk Factors
Latinos are 1.5 times more likely than non-Latino whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease, in part, owing to increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke—all additional risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Furthermore, research has found that symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear almost seven years earlier in Latinos than in non-Latino whites.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Alzheimer’s death rates among Latinos increased 107% between 1999 and 2014.
A report from the USC Roybal Institute on Aging and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s projects a striking increase in the number of Latinos living with Alzheimer’s through 2060. The number of Latinos living with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia is expected to increase more than ninefold from 379,000 in 2012 to 1.1 million by 2030 and to 3.5 million by 2060—a growth of 832%.
The Economic Impact on Families
While the toll of Alzheimer’s on Latino families is incalculable, the economic impact is estimated to reach the trillions by 2060.
Latinos in Alzheimer’s Research
Latino volunteers are needed to help researchers understand and develop treatments for Alzheimer’s and related dementias that work for all communities. While Latinos make up roughly 17% of the U.S. population, they make up less than 1% of participants in National Institutes of Health clinical trials. Moreover, Latinos make up just 7.5% of research participants across the approximately 30 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) funded by NIH.
Strategy
Signature Initiatives
UsAgainstAlzheimer's created the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Coalition as the first-ever coalition of community-based organizations coordinating Alzheimer’s awareness and brain health promotion efforts in the Latino community. UsAgainstAlzheimer’s provides member organizations capacity, expertise, and opportunities to leverage their unique assets in the race to develop Alzheimer’s solutions that work for all Americans.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s established the Alzheimer's and Dementia Disparities Engagement Network (ADDEN) to build a national network of diverse researchers, patients, caregivers, and stakeholder groups for collaboration and knowledge sharing around barriers, facilitators, and priorities in Alzheimer’s research, programming, and policy. The platform aims to foster effective and inclusive community engagement and collaboration strategies and is partially funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington Engagement Award (4192-USAA). Visit the ADDEN webpage here.
Targeted Advocacy
We are proud to support these recent legislative initiatives related to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Coalition Letter: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Draft Strategic Plan for FY 2018-2022
October 27, 2017
Network Endorsement: National Care Corps Act and the National Care Corps Demonstration Act
August 15, 2017
Coalition Letter: Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act (FDARA)
July 28, 2017
Coalition Letter: FY 2017 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
March 23, 2016
Coalition Letter: FY 17 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (L-HHS) Appropriations
March 23, 2016
Coalition Endorsement S. 3137: the Alzheimer’s Beneficiary and Caregiver Support Act
July 15, 2016
Coalition Endorsement: House Version: the Alzheimer’s Beneficiary and Caregiver Support Act
July 15, 2016
Coalition Endorsement: Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Act (S.3113)
August 22, 2016
Coalition Letter: FY 16 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (L-HHS) Appropriations
November 18, 2015
Latino Leadership Initiative on Alzheimer’s
We have developed a network of experts from diverse fields to inform and disseminate the work of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and to provide strategic guidance on Latino community engagement.
| Expert | Background |
|---|---|
| Maria P. Aranda, PhD | USC School of Social Work, University of Southern California |
| Lisette Carbajal | Caregiver Advocate |
| Daisy Duarte | Latino Network Patient and Caregiver Advocate |
| Ambassador Carmen Lomellin | Lomellin Global Partners, LLC |
| Katya Rascovsky, PhD | Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine |
| G. Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN | University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing |
| Ilia Rodriguez | The Daschle Group |
| Arturo Vargas | The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) |
| William Vega, PhD | USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, University of Southern California |
| Yvonne Latty | New York University’s Carter Journalism Institute |
| Josefina Meléndez-Cabrero, PhD | Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic & Research Center, PBC |
| Irving E. Vega, PhD | College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University |
| CiCi Rojas | Tico Productions LLC |
Thought Leadership
Millennials Struggling to Care for Aging Baby Boomer Parents Call for Better Paid Leave
Time.com, March 19, 2018
Los otros Coco de las familias latinas: cómo la película de Pixar ayuda a que se hable de la demencia
Univision, February 2018
Medicaid cuts will be disastrous for millions with Alzheimer’s
The Hill, June 23, 2017
Esta hispana se ve en el espejo de su madre con Alzheimer: tiene 100% de probabilidades de desarrollar la enfermedad
Univision, June 30, 2017
U.S. Latinos diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease expected to grow more than 800%
Fox News Latino, September 28, 2016
El Alzheimer afectará a millones de ancianos latinos a una velocidad sin precedentes
Univision, September 21, 2016
Dramatic Increase in Latinos with Alzheimer's Projected, Along with Costs
NBC Latino, September 21, 2016
New report underscores urgent need for investments in Alzheimer’s research for U.S. Latinos
USC News, September 21, 2016
Can Innovative Transportation Options Help Narrow Health Disparities And Increase Clinical Trial Diversity?
Huffington Post, September 2016
A New Focus On Alzheimer’s In Latino Community As Numbers Set To Skyrocket
BuzzFeed News, December 2014
Latinos Against Alzheimer's: Groups Calls For More Research, Resources
NBC News, December 2014
Our Strategy
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Thought Leadership
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Community Mobilization
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Strategic Advocacy
New Report
Latinos and Alzheimer’s: New Numbers Behind the Crisis
"Latinos & Alzheimer’s: New Numbers Behind the Crisis . . . provides critical insights into this growing crisis and better equips policymakers to develop the solutions that millions of families are desperately waiting for."
Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez
Network Resources
"Latinos & Alzheimer’s: New Numbers Behind the Crisis provides critical information on the economic impact of Alzheimer’s on Latinos. While the emotional toll Alzheimer’s has on families is incalculable, the financial impact is staggering and now well documented through this first-of-its-kind report."
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
