Advancing Brain Health Equity During the COVID19 Pandemic
While the impact of COVID19 on the communities we serve has caused us to rethink how we do our work, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2) continues to champion policy change at the intersections of dementia and social justice. We feel this intersectional approach is critical to advancing health equity during this unprecedented time and we’re proud to share our work across the movement to achieve health equity in our response to COVID19 and its impact on the dementia community.
New Data on the Impact of COVID19 on the Dementia Community
UsA2’s third A-LIST® survey on the effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on the Alzheimer’s community shows support for mandatory testing of nursing home residents and staff and continued high stress on caregivers. The summary results can be found here.
All three of UsA2’s A-LIST® surveys on the issue have shown high stress of current caregivers for people living with Alzheimer’s at home, with the latest survey finding 81% percent of caregivers say their stress level is higher now because of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Prioritizing Health Equity in the COVID19 Pandemic
Politico covered a letter that UsA2’s health equity team helped to organize (signed by 39 civil rights orgs) asking HHS to prioritize communities of color and women in its response to COVID19. The letter urged increased support for community focused grants, improved testing, and demographic data collection/reporting.
Newsweek covered the impact of COVID19 on communities of color and women and featured the work of UsA2 and its partners. According to Jason Resendez, “From communities of color to individuals living with dementia and disabilities, the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable Americans is far reaching. This reality deserves deeper action from HHS, including multiple funding opportunities for community-based organizations to help mitigate the devastation triggered by COVID19. One grant just won’t do it.”
Championing Paid Leave for Dementia Caregivers
In May, UsA2 announced the launch of the Paid Leave Alliance for Dementia Caregivers with 14 partner organizations. With the support of advocates like Lauren Miller and Seth Rogen and institutions like the Gerontological Society of America and Latinos for a Secure Retirement, the new alliance will advocate for access to paid leave for family caregivers of individuals living with dementia.
UsA2’s research has highlighted the importance of paid leave to the 60% of dementia caregivers who work while providing care, a population that is disproportionately made up of people of color and women.
Alzheimer’s Disease Disparities Engagement Network (ADDEN) Partner Updates
The University of Kansas Medical Center published a feature story about the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center’s (KU ADC) work to increase the diversity of its AD research. In recognition of this work, KU ADC received the 2020 University of Kansas Medical Center Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award. UsA2 is a proud partner and congratulates the KU ADC team!
A National Council on Aging and Latinos for a Secure Retirement panel on millennial caregiving featured UsA2’s COVID19 data and millennial caregiving research. Watch here.
Must Listen: A new Podcast from C.A.R.E Research Center at MGH wants to bring you knowledge and tools to help you feel more confident about what is going on in our society. Listen here.
Research Spotlights
The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP present Caregiving in the U.S. 2020! This report is the most recent update to NAC’s trended research series, Caregiving in the U.S., conducted roughly every five years. The 2020 update reveals an increase in the number of family caregivers in the United States of 9.5 million from 2015 to 2020.
Our friends at the MGH Multicultural Alzheimer’s Prevention Program have launched a study to understand the impact of COVID19 on the wellbeing, behavior, and cognition among older adults of different ethnic backgrounds.
The University of Michigan School of Public Health has launched a study to understand the mental health impacts of #COVID19 on older Spanish-speaking adults. Share information with your networks here.
What We’re Reading / Listening To
From Scientific American: A Tsunami of Dementia Could Be on the Way
San Francisco Business Times: Targeting minorities, Genentech starts 2nd trial of potential Covid-19 drug
From STAT News: Biotech’s new chief lobbyist says she’s a social justice advocate. Will the industry walk the walk?
From the New York Times: The Striking Racial Divide in How Covid-19 Has Hit Nursing Homes
From the New York Times: Where Chronic Health Conditions and Coronavirus Could Collide
