CHICAGO, September 15, 2022 — The Alzheimer’s Association and
100 Black Men of America, Inc. (The 100) recently announced a new partnership aimed at promoting brain health and increasing awareness of care and support resources for Black Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and their caregivers.
Founded in 1963 in New York City, The 100 is recognized as the nation’s top African American-led mentoring organization. Currently, the organization has over 10,000 members impacting more than 125,000 underserved, underrepresented minority youth annually. Its Four for the Future initiative focuses on four key areas to improve the lives of Black Americans:
- Mentoring
- Education
- Health & Wellness
- Economic Empowerment
The Alzheimer’s Association and The 100 will work together to advance the group’s health and wellness goals to “raise awareness, provide access to health care and give information that will ultimately promote behavior changes resulting in a healthier lifestyle.”
“The Alzheimer’s Association is excited to be working with 100 Black Men of America,” said Dr. Carl V. Hill, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Alzheimer’s Association. “This distinguished group of leaders in Black communities gives us a respected voice to expand our reach, connecting families affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia to disease information, education programs and access to care and support services.”
Black Americans are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia. Older Black Americans are twice as likely as older white Americans to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and they tend to be diagnosed at later stages of the disease, when they’ve experienced more cognitive impairment. These missed or delayed diagnoses of Alzheimer’s and other dementias prevent individuals from accessing available treatments when they are most likely to improve quality of life.
“Our partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association will build on The 100’s ongoing work to provide education on prevalent diseases that negatively impact Black Americans,” said Mark Alexander, Ph.D., chair, health & wellness committee, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. “We are committed to raising our collective voice to help increase awareness and provide health education on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, which disproportionately impact our communities.”
The partnership’s initial work will focus on three primary objectives:
- Increasing concern and awareness of Alzheimer’s and other dementia by educating local communities about brain health and cognitive aging, changes experienced by an individual that should be discussed with a health professional, and benefits of early detection and diagnosis.
- Providing care and support through Alzheimer’s Association programming, including promotion of the Association’s free 24/7 Helpline to offer families disease-related information, referrals to local resources and care consultation.
- Increasing community engagement in Alzheimer’s and dementia research to ensure more equitable representation of Black Americans in clinical trials and disease research.
“This partnership provides a unique opportunity to address health disparities and health inequities that have persisted in our Black communities for far too long, particularly as it relates to Alzheimer’s and other dementia,” Dr. Hill said. “The Alzheimer’s Association is proud to join with 100 Black Men of America in this important work. We are hopeful that our partnership will help families affected by this devastating disease.”
About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.
About 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
100 Black Men was founded as an organization in New York City in 1963. The national organization, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. began with nine chapters in 1986 as a national alliance of leading African American men of business, public affairs and government with a mission to improve the quality of life for African Americans, particularly African American youth. These visionaries included businessmen and industry leaders such as David Dinkins, Robert Mangum, Dr. William Hayling, Nathaniel Goldston III, Livingston Wingate Andrew Hatcher, and Jackie Robinson. Since inception, the vision emerged and grew to over 10,000 members impacting over 125,000 underserved, underrepresented minority youth annually. Visit www.100blackmen.org for more information on the programs and initiatives of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and their global network of chapters.