River Valley Area Agency on Aging partnered with local community churches and businesses to have the screening of an important documentary film. The film, “Remember Me; Dementia in the African American Community”, was produced and filmed by C. Nathaniel Brown who is out of Atlanta. He has had several family members battling Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. Brown is an awarding filmmaker making over 40 films and documentaries.
The Dementia Care Specialist for River Valley was exposed to Mr. Brown through state committees and was intrigued by the format of the screening and expert panel for questions at the end of the screening. Educating as many in the River Valley region is one of the goals of this position. This proved to be a positive approach to educating those in our region. We had 144 guests at the screening.
“Remember Me: Dementia in the African American Community examines the staggering crisis through the human stories of people battling the disease, caregivers, advocacy groups, and medical professionals… all with their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. What’s even more shocking than the statistics is the lack of knowledge and resources available in the African American community.” C. Nathaniel Brown
The movie reviews the definition of dementia and educates that there are more than 100 types of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent type of dementia. Vascular dementia is the most common type of dementia in the African American community because of risk factors such as diabetes and blood pressure.
The history of mistrust of the medical community and government by African Americans and how it is affecting the participation in clinical trials was presented. Clinical trials are important to identify medical treatment for the disease. There is medication that through clinical trials have shown to reduce the symptoms of the disease. The concern is that there were not enough African Americans in the trial to understand if the results are the same for this population. African Americans and Hispanics are at higher risks to have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. African Americans are also twice as likely as their white counterparts to be diagnosed with the disease.
Many of the African American churches in our area are invested the health of their congregations and community through health and wellness committees. In partnering with the churches, it was a great opportunity to engage the larger population to understand that dementia doesn’t have to be an isolating disease. River Valley Area Agency on Aging was also supported by many businesses who work with the disease or have vested interest in an educated community to eliminate the stigma of dementia. It was through these partnerships we were able to bring the screening to Columbus.
“There is currently no cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. But there are resources and support available to help treat and manage them. This documentary will help in the fight against dementia and galvanize a community who needs it most.” C. Nathaniel Brown
How dementia effects the lives of those who are caring for someone with dementia and the person with dementia was shown in a very personal way through Mr. Browns own experience. This was a very educational and moving film. A must see if you have the opportunity.
