Last week the Alzheimer’s Association released its 2021 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, a statistical resource for U.S. data related to Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. The report included a Special Report on race, ethnicity, and Alzheimer’s in America. Versta Research was commissioned to conduct two surveys: One of all U.S. adults, and another of U.S. caregivers. Together, the two surveys documented the multiple and dramatic ways in which discrimination is a barrier to Alzheimer’s and dementia care for people of color.

Findings in the report reveal that non-White racial/ethnic populations expect and experience more barriers when accessing dementia care, have less trust in medical research and are less confident that they have access to health professionals who understand their ethnic and racial background and experiences. Among the findings:

• Two-thirds of Black Americans (66%) believe it is harder for them to get excellent care for Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Likewise, 2 in 5 Native Americans (40%) and Hispanic Americans (39%) believe their own race or ethnicity makes it harder to get care, as do one-third of Asian Americans (34%).
• Nearly two-thirds of Black Americans (62%) believe that medical research is biased against people of color — a view shared by substantial numbers of Asian Americans (45%), Native Americans (40%) and Hispanic Americans (36%) as well. Only half of Black Americans (53%) trust a future cure for Alzheimer’s will be shared equally regardless of race, color or ethnicity.
• Fewer than half of Black (48%) and Native Americans (47%) feel confident they have access to providers who understand their ethnic or racial background and experiences, and only about 3 in 5 Asian Americans (63%) and Hispanics (59%) likewise feel confident.

Commenting on the research findings, Carl V. Hill, Ph.D., MPH, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at the Alzheimer’s Association said: “Despite ongoing efforts to address health and health care disparities in Alzheimer’s and dementia care, survey results show there is still a lot of work to be done. Clearly, discrimination, lack of diversity among health care professionals and mistrust in medical research create significant barriers to care and demand the country’s full attention.”

The results were reported on NPR’s Morning Edition, by AARP, and by other news outlets. Full details are available in the Association’s press release and in the 2021 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report. Results are summarized in an infographic and video clip, as well.