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Triple Your Impact This Holiday Season
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Donate NowHonoring Her Mother, One Daughter Pushes for Equity in Dementia Support This Mother’s Day
For decades, Bettie J. Brown was a pillar of the Lincoln community. As one of the few cosmetologists in the area who specialized in Black hair, her business, Hair Suite Salon, was more than just a place for beauty. It was a haven. A space where people gather not only to get their hair done, but to connect, share stories, seek support, and find joy. Regardless of background, everyone was welcome in Bettie’s chair.
“You never knew who would be in the salon, but everyone was equal,” said Myssy Brown, Bettie’s daughter. “When my mom was at the college of hair design, she had to teach herself and others at the same time the technique of doing Black hair.”
But in 2013, Bettie’s life began to change. After experiencing severe headaches, she was diagnosed with an aneurysm. Myssy, who had been living in Arlington/Dallas area for years, returned home to Nebraska to care for her mother. Over time, she noticed signs of memory lapses and confusion that couldn’t be explained.
In 2022, Bettie was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. The condition is caused by abnormal protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, in the brain. As Bettie’s condition progressed during the height of the pandemic, the isolation took a toll on her mentally and physically. She was no longer around the salon community that brought her so much joy and connection. Bettie was forced to close the doors of Hair Suite Salon, the same doors that had welcomed 40 years’ worth of clients and friends.
Today, Myssy is her mother’s primary caregiver. That means making sacrifices, including bringing her mom on first dates when other care isn’t available. She has tried enrolling Bettie in care communities around Lincoln, but none have provided the cultural comfort and representation that her mother needs.
“There’s nobody to relate to and no one to talk to,” Myssy said. “There’s nobody that looks like her and there’s nobody that she even knows. There are not even care workers who look like her.”
To better understand her mother’s diagnosis and how to address the stigma that sometimes follows those living with and affected dementia, Myssy reached out to the Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska Chapter for support.
“There were no minority representatives here, and why is that? Because we all get old,” Myssy said. “With any mental illness, it is harder for minorities to want to accept it. You don’t want to seem dumb, uneducated, or crazy.”
Myssy continues to be an advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association by increasing more inclusive care and awareness of dementia, particularly within underserved and underrepresented communities.
A gap in the community formed when Bettie closed her salon, but her granddaughter, Cushiera Usher has been creating her own salon haven, Sculpted Expressions, in Galveston since 2013. As Bettie’s family champions dignity in care and greater representation, they also carry on with her legacy of creating a space for connection, understanding, and change.