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Alzheimer's is a concern for women in California, as the population is aging and has a large number of adults over 65, more than any other state.
The disease affects women in particular, accounting for nearly two-thirds of those diagnosed and more than 60 percent of caregivers, with 11 million women in the United States suffering from Alzheimer's or caring for someone who suffers from it.
Women with Alzheimer's, on the one hand, risk social isolation due to misdiagnosis and stigmatization, while those who care for those with the condition risk adverse consequences to their personal, professional and mental health due to unpaid and informal caregiving responsibilities.
More than a third of dementia caregivers in the United States are daughters, while 19 percent of female Alzheimer's caregivers have had to leave their jobs due to the demands of the job, experts said during a briefing held by Ethnic Media Services.
Dr. Wynnelena C. Canio, medical director of Kaiser Permanente San Rafael's nursing home intensive care unit and a member of the Sonoma County Senior Advocacy Services board of directors, said she has had to care for her grandmother and thousands of others living with dementia — a challenge for many but a joy for her as she helps seniors.
In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the creation of an innovative task force responsible for putting forward recommendations on how California can prevent and prepare for the rise in Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Canio said it is difficult for families to see how their loved one begins to mix up stories, forget things and then not be able to do activities alone and for a while need help with their basic needs, because no one expects this to happen to their family members, “no one is totally ready.”
In numbers, she added, California is the state with the most people with dementia, creating an urgency to prepare to respond to the medical needs of everyone. It also has the largest population aged 65 and older, highlighting the urgency to raise awareness and preparedness to face Alzheimer's.
The resources provided are intended to provide more people with easy access to basic information, generate understanding of the risk factors relevant to women, reduce the negative impacts of stigma, and work towards the goal of helping women and families improve their brain health, she explained.
Similarly, Dr. Wynnelena C. Canio said that nearly 2 out of 3 Americans with Alzheimer's are women and more than 60 percent of Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers are women.
She added that when it comes to Alzheimer's disease, women and communities of color are at significantly higher risk, according to the Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Association 2024.
"It is important to recognize that we all have a role in the fight against Alzheimer's, with your help we can reduce, educate and empower all Californians to recognize the signs of the disease for themselves to look for ways to reduce and improve brain health before or after a diagnosis.”, Canio concluded.
For Dr. Mirella Díaz-Santos, assistant professor of neurology at UCLA and director of the Healthy Aging Equity Lab for Latinos-Hispanics, women should not feel guilty for having a higher risk of developing dementia since there are multiple factors.
She said that many people see Alzheimer's as an enigma, since when talking about dementia, genetics, biology, environment, race and origin must be considered.
"Research says there are some genes associated with women that increase longevity; this brain pathology is more in the brains of women. We must also think about all the chronic stressors we endure on a daily basis that disappear throughout our lives.”, added Dr. Diaz-Santos.
Anni Chung, president and CEO of Self Help for the Elderly, said she has been CEO of Self Help since 1983, so she has been working and supporting people in a variety of ways for over 40 years, meeting and listening to different cases.
In this regard, she recalled that it is essential to change the narrative and understanding of dementia and, in this research work, they broadened their horizons with more medical institutions in the Far East, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, to have a broader panorama in favor of the community.
Self Help organizes bi-weekly support groups for family members caring for each patient, and sometimes organizes outings, intensive care courses or classes, and more.
Mereani Ikanivere, founder of Prestige Care, said Alzheimer's is a topic of concern for caregivers. She is a registered nurse in California and has been working on her senior care projects for 20 years with the goal of promoting the best care for these valuable members of the community.
She explained that many people have been dedicated to caring, but they need professional training and certification; today, the critical situation of health care has allowed the involvement of a strong advocacy group of Pacific Islanders who will support approximately 90 percent of people in need in California.
She added that 65 percent of her caregivers care for patients with Alzheimer's, showing that in the last four years there has been a continuous increase in the number of Californians aged 65 or older with this condition, which translates to 750 thousand people.
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