Rochester — April 24, 2023 — The Alzheimer’s Association Rochester & Finger Lakes Region Chapter announces the return of the Dr. Lemuel and Gloria Rogers African American Health Symposium. This year’s theme is “Caring for Our Community: Dementia’s Impact and Hope for the Future.”
Now in its 12th year, the symposium is geared toward creating connections, partnerships and hope. The event is named for Lemuel Rogers Jr. M.D. and his wife, Gloria Rogers. In 1968, Dr. Rogers became one of the first African American doctors to build and own a medical building in Rochester. Over the course of his 30 years of practice as an obstetrician-gynecologist, he delivered more than 5,000 babies at Rochester’s Highland and Saint Mary’s hospitals.
The Rogers were members of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church who were diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. The couple was deeply involved in health education in the local Black community.
“With the Alzheimer’s Association’s recent Facts and Figures report showing that older Black Americans are twice as likely to be impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementias compared with older White Americans, this annual symposium is more crucial now than ever,” said Lois Williams-Norman, Board Member and Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee of the Rochester Finger Lakes Region Alzheimer’s Association. “We are hyper-aware of the disparities in our nation’s health systems, and we are working tirelessly to not only eliminate them but to eliminate the barriers that exist when it comes to positive health outcomes for those living with Alzheimer’s.”
The event will feature a keynote address by Jackie Dozier, a lifelong community advocate who serves as Director, Community Health and Well-being at Common Ground Health. In particular, Dozier has led community efforts focusing on health disparities impacting communities of color.
Dozier also serves as a member of the healthcare workgroup for Racial and Structural Equity (RASE) and oversees 30 barbershops and beauty salons of the Get it Done Initiative, training owners and stylists to educate their customers on health concerns in Black and Latino communities.
The symposium also will include words of encouragement and hope from the family of Lemuel and Gloria Rogers. The symposium will feature a panel comprising Dozier, Rev. Ruben Lowry Sr.; Nate Brown Jr., dementia caregiver; Katy Allen from Lifespan; and Susan Salem-Spencer, AD-CARE program’s clinical operations manager and lead study nurse coordinator.
The 2023 event is free to the community and will take place in person on Saturday, May 6, at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center, 161 Chestnut St, Rochester. This free in-person event includes a hot lunch catered by Northern Nola. To register, visit
https://bit.ly/3GT5NCU or call 800.272.3900.
“As an organization, we are committed to improving access to both treatments and equitable care to anybody with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity,” said Kristen Merlin, Director of Community Engagement for the Rochester Finger Lakes Region Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. “In addition to the disparities between African Americans with Alzheimer’s and Whites with Alzheimer’s, our annual Facts and Figures report shows that more than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care to people living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
“It is imperative that we reach these caregivers and assist them in identifying partnerships, community and hope right here in their home and community,” Merlin added. “Caregiving for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia truly takes a village; it is a diagnosis that impacts not only the person living with the disease but each and every member of their family as well. Through this event, we hope to reach many of these villages and provide not only resources but support and hope as well.”
Some 410,000 individuals live with Alzheimer’s or another dementia in New York state and 546,000 New Yorkers provide unpaid care to someone with the disease. While older Blacks/African Americans are two times more likely than older whites to have Alzheimer’s, they are less likely than Whites to receive a diagnosis of the condition.
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.
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For more information contact:
Velvet Spicer, Communications Manager
Alzheimer’s Association, Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter
585.257.4477
vespicer@alz.org
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads 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.™ For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.