Congratulations to United Community Center (UCC), who received a 2021 Community Impact grant for the initiative Latino Dementia Health Regional Consortium, working to develop a regional model of dementia healthcare and caregiver support to improve Alzheimer’s disease detection, diagnosis and supports for Latinos in the southeast region of the state, including Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha. Read more about the grant here.
Latinos are the largest ethnic/racial group in the United States and are about 1.5 times more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease. While counties in the southeast region of Wisconsin are home to nearly 50 percent of the state’s Latino population, many experience obstacles to diagnosis and care. United Community Center works to address health disparities by providing accessible, culturally-tailored memory care to people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
United Community Center is a member of the WAI Dementia Diagnostic Memory Clinic Network, connecting memory care professionals in Wisconsin with education, resources, networking and research updates. United Community Center physician Dr. Piero Antuono was interviewed by Milwaukee Public Radio about the new clinic expansion and the importance of providing care for Latino community. Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, is featured in the interview describing the need for services tailored for Latino people who are living with dementia. Mora Pinzon is a WAI scientist and a primary care research fellow at UW–Madison Department of Medicine and Family Health.
Understanding the needs of the community and its culture is imperative for memory care providers, Mora Pinzon explained in the interview.
“I have heard many people who were able to get a diagnosis somewhere say, ‘Ah, the doctor told me that I should put my mom in a home, I’m not doing that. We never went back to that doctor.’ Those cultural implications of how to take care of a family member are so important. It goes beyond just getting a diagnosis,” she said. Listen to the interview here.