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Caregivers and health experts say the stigma of Alzheimer's in many communities prevents effective care, so cultural taboos around the disease and other forms of dementia among older adults and people with disabilities need to be addressed in communities ranging from Latino, African American, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) to LGBTQ+, as early detection is the key to treatment.

In response, California has launched a new campaign to confront Alzheimer's, “TAKE ON ALZ,” from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), an education and awareness campaign aimed at all Californians to promote healthy brains, knowledge about the difference between aging and dementia, as well as inform about the importance of prevention and early detection.

Dr. Lucía Abascal of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), explained a Briefing session conducted by Ethnic Media Services that, according to a 2024 report, Alzheimer's is the second cause of death in California.

She explained that women from communities of color are more likely to develop Alzheimer's, so it should not be forgotten that age is not the only factor.

"We know that it is essential to detect Alzheimer's early in order to have treatment options. The idea is that the sooner a diagnosis is made, the easier it is for the person with Alzheimer's and for their caregivers as well.”, commented Dr. Abascal.

The campaign seeks to empower more Californians with community support to recognize the science of the disease, either personally or with family and friends, in order to reduce the risk for more people.

Dr. Dolores Gallagher Thompson, professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, said it's important to value people with Alzheimer's because they can't do the same things they used to.

A common example is cooking the family dinner, however following recipes is not always possible for an Alzheimer's patient, so assigning easy tasks and providing support is important, but showing them their great value will be essential.

To reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, he said, it is important to stay active, doing physical activity regularly; one should also maintain a balanced diet, while also controlling other diseases that can make adults more vulnerable.

In her opportunity, Dr. María Aranda, professor of Social Work and Gerontology at USC, and executive director of the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at USC, explained that the common factor in this disease is the fact of aging, so anyone can acquire it, which is why the fact of treating and taking care of oneself, preventing it with timely medical attention, is emphasized.

The real problem, he said, is that in vulnerable communities like the Latino community, the terms are not known and there is not enough publicity, which makes everything turn gray, leaving many points of misinformation. 

He added that there are also doctors who have information biases, as they are loaded with prejudices and leave patients with more information gaps.

Lunae Chrysanta, director of training and transformation at San Francisco-based Openhouse, explained that researchers estimate there are around 2.7 million LGBTQ+ people over the age of 50, a community that is growing rapidly. 

"We expect to live and die with dignity, what happens is that, as people grow up, they depend on the care of others and are afraid, so they feel they have to hide who they are and go back into the closet.”, he commented Lunae Chrysanta.

A 2023 study showed that prejudice in older adults results in discrimination based on issues they have faced throughout their lives; estimates show that 40 percent of LGBTQ+ people and 46 percent of transgender older adults do not disclose their sexual orientation and gender because they fear it will affect the quality of their medical care. 

Petra Niles of Alzheimer's in Los Angeles and Senior Manager of Education & Outreach, highlighted that the African-American community, of which she is a part, is one of the most affected, since upon receiving the diagnosis they often have financial problems or lack of health services, which makes it difficult to receive care and undergo adequate treatment. 

For her, it is important to build good relationships that generate trust with doctors and the Afro-descendant community, all with the aim of contributing to prevention. 

"This is a disease that is not going to go away and of course it is important to prevent it.”, he concluded Petra Niles.

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Recent local measles cases caused San Mateo County Health joined Bay Area health officials in urging everyone to stay up to date on virus vaccinations and watch for symptoms after travel or exposure. 

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, and can cause serious illness, complications or death. While it can affect anyone, it is most common among children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The best protection against measles is two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which provides lifelong protection. This is particularly important for anyone traveling internationally in the coming months, health authorities said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there have been 64 confirmed cases of measles in 17 jurisdictions in 2024, and more than 90 percent of those cases are related to international travel, as measles circulates in many regions of the world, including popular tourist and business destinations. Most of the U.S. cases have occurred among children 12 months or older who had not received the MMR vaccine.

With three major airports, the Bay Area is a hub for international travel, increasing the potential for exposure to this highly contagious virus. 

For individuals or families planning to travel abroad, anyone who is not vaccinated against measles is at increased risk of becoming infected, so health officials urged people to plan ahead for international travel and check the destination and CDC's Global Measles Travel Health Notice for additional travel health advice, including where measles outbreaks have been reported.

They also urged people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles for three weeks after returning to the United States. 

While MMR vaccination rates have been high in the Bay Area, it is important to confirm vaccination history.

Measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis, followed 2 to 4 days later by a rash. The virus is spread by direct contact with infectious droplets or through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Infectious droplets can remain in indoor air for several hours.

About one in five people infected with measles requires hospitalization, and between 1 and 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to the CDC. 

Measles poses the greatest risk to children under 5 years of age, adults over 20 years of age, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems.

Vaccination is highly effective in preventing measles. MMR vaccine is recommended for children 12 to 15 months of age, with a second dose given between 4 and 6 years of age. Infants 6 to 12 months of age can begin vaccination early before traveling abroad. Adolescents and adults with no evidence of immunity should be vaccinated immediately.

“While the risk of exposure to measles in the Bay Area is still low, it is important to ensure that everyone has the strongest protections against this dangerous disease,” said San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana.

Health officials who joined the call include those from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, Sonoma counties and the city of Berkeley.

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By Pamela Cruz with information from Manuel Ortiz. Peninsula 360 Press.

Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions caused by a deficit in learning, language, behavior, or physical areas. Approximately 1 in 6 children in the United States has one or more developmental disabilities or other developmental delays; one of the most commonly discussed is autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which, with appropriate treatment, can improve the quality of life for children with autism. 

Manuel Ortiz interviewed Maribel Hernández Gómez of the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the Mind Institute at UC Davis in the Península 360 Press mobile studio. She highlighted the importance of mothers and fathers being able to access information based on scientific evidence to support and help their children be diagnosed and treated appropriately.

But what is the definition of autism?

“By definition, it is a neurodevelopmental condition, and it is currently diagnosed at an average of four years of age, but there may be marks or it can be noticed from 12 or 18 months,” said the community outreach specialist for the Spanish-speaking community.

There is a long list of these signs, he said, but when an evaluation is done to make a diagnosis, it focuses on communication, such as the absence of verbal language, or its existence but not being functional.

Another part, she said, is stereotyping, repetitive behaviors "like when these children make lines with the carts, and instead of playing with the cart they play with the wheel of the cart, when we see these children who have difficulties with food, when our little ones only want to go out through the same door; in general they have rituals for doing certain activities."

In the case of food, he specified, these are those who, for example: have a favorite food and cannot eat anything else, foods of different colors cannot be mixed, or in general no food can be next to another, "these are behaviors that are seen, that are noticed, that are not functional and are impacting their development, impacting their coexistence, the social part."

Given this, what should be done if there is a suspicion that our children have autism spectrum disorder?

When there is a suspicion, Maribel Hernández stressed, it is necessary to go to the pediatrician, who should be the person who makes the referral to the Regional Centers in California, “a place where you can also call and ask for an evaluation.”

In addition, he explained, schools can also provide support in these types of situations by referring children to specialized care centers, regardless of whether they are over 3 years old.

“You go and ask for help at school and say: my child is 3 years old and is not talking; my child is 3 years old and has not stopped wearing diapers; my child is three years old and throws himself on the floor when he gets angry, there is no communication, he hits; when there are all these concerns you can call the Regional Center and call or go to your school and you can communicate with your doctor.”

Stigmas begin at home

For many, stigma and fear of what others will say can cause mothers and fathers to not seek professional help, due to feelings of guilt, said Maribel Hernandez, who has two children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“Many of us parents feel guilty, but we did nothing to make this little boy have autism. It is part of life, like other difficult parts of our lives, but there is nothing we could have done differently to prevent this from happening,” she said.

She pointed out that stigmas only lead to children not seeking the appropriate help they need to improve their situation, which is not always ASD, but an adequate diagnosis is necessary to obtain the best treatment.

“As we know, the brain develops wonderfully between the ages of 0 and 6, which is why intervention is so important. If there are concerns, maybe it is not autism, maybe there is just a language delay and it is a good idea to go for this evaluation, so that the child can be given the support to develop language and catch up with his peers.”

However, for parents of a child with ASD, the diagnosis can generate grief, which is not always linked to the death of a loved one, as it entails loss, which can be of a job, of love, of health, and yes, also losing a "typical" child, the first stage of this grief being denial.

“This denial happens because it hurts us a lot, we don’t want our precious son to have difficulties, so that’s why we say: no, he’ll talk, my brother talked until he was 5 years old; all this will fix itself, and we create this alternate reality where nothing is happening, but in reality it is happening.

In light of this, he stressed, it is necessary to get to work and seek the necessary support and services.

California residents have special assistance, unlike in other states in the country, since there are Regional Centers, which support people with developmental disabilities from age 0 until the end of their lives.

Additionally, Medi-Cal also supports children with these types of needs, regardless of their immigration status.

Maribel Hernández recalled the importance of going to specialists and appropriate centers for care, since just listening to a neighbor or taking advice from social networks can only delay help and the child's recovery.

“Now, with all this communication and how easy it is to become famous and give recommendations, I think it is very delicate to be careful of those people who want to take advantage of our pain, of our desperation to cure our son, and offer us some treatments to cure autism that have no scientific evidence and we don’t know if they will work. Sometimes we have more faith in that information because people know how to sell themselves, unlike evidence-based practices. Be careful, if in addition to curing autism it cures other things and it is very expensive, they are possibly deceiving you and taking advantage of your need,” he warned.

Patience is important, and that is why the specialist urged not to take panaceas.

“Children grow up, they don’t stay little. It is very important that we work with them when they are little, when we can redirect them, when it is hard for us, maybe we can take them to the movies, go out to a restaurant, be in the park, but if now that they are little it is a lot of work, if we don’t work at this time when they are adults it will be a little more complicated,” she said.

Suggestions for parents of a child diagnosed with developmental delay or neurodevelopmental disability

• Designate a folder to organize your child's information: assessments, reports, communication log, meeting notes.
• Contact local agencies: Regional Center, School District, Health Care Provider, Family Resource Center (in the Sacramento Warmline area) http://www.wamlinefrc.oralespanol.html, PTI Parent Training and Information Center (DREDF for Northern CA) https://dredf.ora/educacion-especial/. 
• Attend support groups, conferences, workshops, and community activities https://health.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/events/index.html. 
• Learn about your rights and responsibilities in special education ~IEP (SERR DRC https://serr.disabilityrightsca.org/sp/)  
• Review the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act IFSP/IPP https://rula.disabilityrightsca.org/es.
• Visit the CEDD MIND Institute website and trusted sites (.edu/.org/.gov) https://health.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/centers/cedd-spanish.html. 
• You can contact the CEDD MIND Institute Resource Center, Spanish line at 916-703-0439 or 916-734-1812, where you are invited to be part of a community of parents and professionals committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families.
• Be part of the research https://health.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/registry/index.html.

Stay informed, continue learning https://www.facebook.com/CEDDCENTROPARALAEXCELENCIAENDISCAPACIDADESDELDESAR/.

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