The Race of Dementia

By Debra Tann, Ed.D.

Dementia is color-blind and affects the human race profoundly. Consequently, The Race of Dementia is in progress and runners need to be equipped. Join the author as she offers: education, empowerment, and encouragement. Breakaway and also experience laughter and brokenness accentuated with realism and gravitas. Let us run and finish this race together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781646703593

Book preview

My Genesis

In the mid-1960s, when I was in the fourth grade, I was on a live televised show entitled Bozo Circus. Our class was on the show, and toward the end of the show; I was selected to participate in a contest. Unbeknownst to me, the contest consisted of me and three other contestants jumping rope. As a little girl, this was the neighborhood norm, and I was quite good at jumping rope, especially Double Dutch. Yes, some of you are smiling because you know how to jump too. During this jump rope contest, I simply had to jump longer than the other contestants to win the prize. I was nervous, but I remember my classmates cheering for me as I jumped my little heart out. I won the contest, and the prize was a Suzy Homemaker Oven! Oh my goodness, it was bigger than me and what a wonderful prize it was for jumping rope.

I was especially excited to use my Suzy Homemaker Oven over the weekend because we were traveling to my grandmother’s house to see my great-grandmother. I recently learned my great-grandmother was residing with my grandmother in Chicago. Hence, I planned to bake her a cake from my very own oven to welcome her to the city. She and I had a great relationship. She had a special affinity for me as I often visited her in Mobile, Alabama with my grandmother. Traveling from Chicago with my grandmother was always a treat for me. Actually, being in the company of my grandmother was such a delight with incredible interaction between us. As I prepared the cake with happy anticipation, my great-grandmother would be thrilled that I baked her a cake. Moreover, I thought my grandmother would be equally ecstatic of my baking prowess. She as did my great grandmother believed all women should know how to cook/bake, and it began as a little girl.

Needless to say, I could not wait to arrive! Once we drove up to my grandmother’s home, I darted out of the car with my baked cake in hand. I immediately stormed into the door and greeted everyone.

As I approached my great-grandmother with utter joy and excitement to see her, she was unexcited. She did not greet me with her exuberant hug and kiss. She often referred to me by saying, Come here, gal. I knew that was a true term of southern endearment coming from her, but I did not hear that beckoning either.

In fact, it appeared as though she did not know who I was and why I was standing before her with a cake that was still in its tiny baking pan. Why was she unresponsive? She looked at me as though I was a perfect stranger, and she displayed no emotion. I was confused beyond measure.

Years later, I wondered why my mother or my grandmother did not better prepare me for what I believed to be complete rejection. My little heart that I used to successfully jump rope was broken. I felt as though I should have been warned. In my despair, the only solace my mother and grandmother could provide were hugs. Instead, I wanted answers.

The intent of this book is to provide insight, truth, encouragement, resources, and perhaps some answers on the subject of dementia. What is more, this book will discuss specific racial groups that face alarming disparities at disproportionate rates as compared to others. We are now experiencing The Race of Dementia. How so? There is a literal race against time to find treatment and a cure. While simultaneously; it is wreaking havoc on millions of black and brown people.

What Is Dementia and Related Diseases Defined

There are many types of dementias, research reports ten primary types. Each of them has specific symptoms that are attached to various diseases. For simplicity, I will be discussing five areas: Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Parkinson’s disease dementia.

Let us begin by operationally defining dementia. It is not a disease! However, it is the symptoms thereof. According to the Mayo Clinic (2019), dementia is a medical term used to describe a set of symptoms that are caused by changes in the brain due to disease or injury. Most dementia symptoms occur in people because healthy brain tissue deteriorates, causing a decline in memory and mental abilities.

Symptoms of dementia usually include but are not limited to memory lost, impaired thinking and reasoning, impaired language skills, and personality/behavioral changes.

The term dementia and Alzheimer’s are often used interchangeably. While they are related, there are distinct differences between the two. Dementia is the umbrella term for an individual’s changes in memory, thinking, or reasoning (the symptoms) caused by changes in the brain due to disease or injury. There are many possible causes of dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Let’s take a closer examination of the various dementias. These definitions are operationally defined by the Alzheimer’s Association (Dementia Types, 2019).

Alzheimer’s (ALZ) disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging; it is a progressive brain disease. Two abnormal brain structures called plaques and tangles are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease and are thought to damage and kill nerve cells. Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid that builds up in the spaces between nerve cells. Tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau that builds up inside cells.

Vascular Dementia is a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to the brain, depriving brain cells of vital oxygen and nutrients. These changes sometimes occur suddenly following strokes that block major brain blood vessels. It is widely considered the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is a type of progressive dementia associated with abnormal deposits found in deteriorating nerve cells. The presence of Lewy bodies in the brain can affect an individual’s mobility, as well as the ability to think, reason, and remember. Early symptoms include hallucinations and problems with sleep. Men are more likely than women to be affected by DLB. In addition, there is a shuffling walk, stooped posture, and rapid eye movement (REM). This list is not exhaustive. Dementia with Lewy bodies is the second most common type of dementia.

Frontotemporal Dementia is a neurodegenerative disorder. That means it is caused by the loss of or damage to nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. Some people with frontotemporal dementia have dramatic changes in their personality and become socially inappropriate, impulsive, or emotionally indifferent, while others lose the ability to use language properly. Frontotemporal dementia tends to occur at a younger age, often beginning between the ages of 40 to 65. Quick brain reminders: the human brain is divided into two hemispheres. Each hemisphere has four areas called lobes. Each lobe is responsible for different brain functions. Two of these lobes are the frontal and temporal. The frontal lobe, behind the forehead, is responsible for personality, problem solving, abstract thought, and movement. These are called executive functions. The temporal lobe, regions behind the ears, is responsible for naming, language comprehension, perception, memory, and hearing. (Italics denotes the thought of the author).

Parkinson’s disease Dementia Parkinson’s disease begins in a region that plays a key role in movement, leading to early symptoms that include tremors and shakiness, muscle stiffness, difficulty initiating movement, and a lack of facial expression. As brain changes caused by Parkinson’s gradually spread, they often begin to affect mental functions (dementia symptoms) including memory, the ability to pay attention, make sound judgement, and plan the steps needed to complete a task.

An estimated 50 to 80 percent of those with Parkinson’s eventually experience dementia as their disease progresses. Because Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s disease dementia damage and destroy brain cells, both disorders worsen over time. Their speed of progression can vary widely.

For discussion purpose, symptoms I have noted are not exhaustive. The list of dementia symptoms for each disease is a bit more extensive. My goal is to provide an overview. In addition to the above diseases that have dementia symptoms, I must include Mild Cognitive Impairment (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). MCI causes a slight but noticeable and measurable decline in cognitive abilities, including memory and thinking skills. MCI causes changes that are serious enough to be noticed by the individuals experiencing them or to other people. At this point, changes are not severe enough to interfere with independent function. A person with MCI is at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s or one of the other diseases discussed earlier.

Facts and Figures

The most recent Facts and Figures 2020, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

More than sixteen million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

Caregivers provided an estimated 18.6 billion hours of care valued at over 244 billion dollars.

One in three seniors die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

In 2020, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the nation 305 billion dollars. By 2050, these costs could rise as high as 1.1 trillion.

One in 10 people age 65 and older (10%) have Alzheimer’s dementia.

50% of primary care physicians believe the medical profession is not ready for the growing number of people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

Between 2000 and 2018, deaths from heart disease have decreased 7.8% while deaths from Alzheimer’s have increased 146%.

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 14 million.

Most caregivers (66%) live with the person with dementia in the community.

Only 16 percent of seniors receive regular cognitive assessments during routine health care checkups.

Every sixty-five seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s.

Older African Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other diseases with dementia as older whites. Hispanics are about one and one half times as likely to have a dementia related disease.

Two out of three women in America have Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is the only top ten cause of deaths in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed down.

About one in three caregivers (30%) are age sixty-five or older.

One out of three caregivers are daughters.

One out of four caregivers are called sandwich generation caregivers which means they are not