When it comes to the highest prevalence of Alzheimer's and dementia across the state Bexar county comes in 7th. This new information comes from the Alzheimer's Association in the first ever report that lists numbers by county instead of by state.
“It’s validation of what we’ve already known. Those of Hispanic and Latino descent are one-and-a-half times more likely to develop the disease. Our demographics pretty much guaranteed that there’s a higher prevalence here,” Sciuto said.“It just highlights the need for better diagnostic tools, better training for law enforcement officials, for physicians, for those that might interact with somebody that hasn’t been diagnosed,” he said.
He hopes public health departments will allocate resources to this serious and deadly disease, bringing more care and education to high-prevalence communities like Bexar County.“We have a lack of geriatricians. We have a lack of neurologists and psychiatrists. That’s nationwide. So trying to get that diagnosis is sometimes very hard,” he said.
Cordes said because getting into specialists can be difficult, we need to be training primary care physicians to better understand dementia and how to diagnose it.“We find people who skip care. I think Alzheimer’s has become the new taboo silent killer. People don’t want to admit it. People don’t want to talk about it,” Cordes said.
Anyone with memory loss that interferes with their daily activities should see a doctor and ask about dementia. Cordes is trying to help break the stigma so people like his mother-in-law can get care as early as possible.Anyone who wants information about diagnosis, treatments and even caregiving can visit“We provide support groups, community education. We have resources available to those that are experiencing the disease. We help folks understand how to communicate better with someone with dementia, understanding the kind of behaviors that often come with dementia,” Sciuto said.coming up on August 12.
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