Alzheimer’s disease hits blacks especially hard, experts say

By AARIEL CHARBONNET

5/11/2007

As she stares at her reflection in the mirror, her piercing black eyes roam aimlessly about, as if searching for the person lurking on the other side of the glass.  Finally, she lifts her head slightly, seeing for the first time the mirror image of herself.  Startled and upset, she taps her finger on the glass and says in a frantic tone, “Who’s that ...Get out of there!”

Hearing her mother’s frenzied voice, the woman realizes that she forgot to remove the last mirror from the foyer.  The daughter rushes to her mother’s side, tenderly clutches her wrinkled hand and says, “That’s just you, Ursula,” calling her mother by her first name. 

Hand-in-hand, they slowly retreat to the kitchen, daughter in front, mother meekly following behind.

For Ursula Cuiellette, the onset of Alzheimer’s disease was unexpected, to say the least. The progressive brain disorder transformed the once vibrant woman into a mere shadow of her former self.

Even in her late ‘60s, Cuiellette lived more like a woman 30 years her junior. The 5-foot 3-inch blonde beauty enjoyed sporting the most avant-garde trends, attending the latest social gatherings and cooking mouth-watering meals for her family and friends.

Two factors, however, prevented Cuiellette from continuing her adult life with ease. 

She was over 65-years-old, and she was black.

By the time she was 70, Alzheimer’s controlled Cuiellette. She could no longer pick her grandchildren up from school, cook Sunday dinners or dress her herself in the morning, tasks she once performed effortlessly.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than five million people in the United States are now living with Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder that disproportionately affects blacks with estimates ranging from 14 to nearly 100 percent higher than the disease’s prevalence among whites.

The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s gradually destroys an individual’s memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and perform daily activities.  Progression of the disease usually results in personality and behavioral changes, in addition to delusions, hallucinations and constant anxiety, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of growing older,” says Patricia Slattum, a member of the Virginia Alzheimer’s Commission. “We have this stereotype of people gray-haired, hunched over and not being able to remember things, which is just not true.”

"It’s a degenerative disease of the brain marked by gradual memory loss, impaired judgment, and decline in ability to perform routine tasks and disorientation and loss of language skills,” she continues.

 Blacks, in particular, are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s because they have a greater chance of acquiring the risk factors associated with the disease, namely increased blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

 The most significant risk factor, however, is age.  And the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America reports that the number of blacks entering the age of Alzheimer’s risk (65 and older) is expected to more than double to 6.9 million by 2030.

 There are other environmental factors associated with the disease as well.  “Decreased reserve capacity of the brain, reduced brain size, low education level and reduced mental and physical activity in late life are all factors that can contribute to this disease,” says Slattum.  Head injury, hypertension, smoking and being overweight are additional risk factors involved in the development of Alzheimer’s, she adds.

 Not only do the individuals affected with the degenerative disorder experience pain, but their caregivers do as well.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 80 percent of Alzheimer caregivers report that they often experience high levels of stress, and almost half suffer from depression.

“Staying connected to the outside world is paramount,” says Carol Gurioli, family services specialist at the Southeastern Virginia Alzheimer’s Chapter in Norfolk, Va.  “It is very important to not feel alone in the process,” she says.

 The role of a caregiver is especially difficult when it is the adult child who must care for his or her affected parent.  This role reversal requires a significant transition for the adult child.

 Alorna Kay, Cuiellette’s daughter and one of her primary caregivers, says it was “physically and emotionally draining” to care for her mother. 

 “Having to do for her the things she did for me growing up was hard,” Kay, 58, says amid a long sigh.  “But when I reflect back, I never considered it a burden.”

 Her sigh turned into a quiet laughter.  She recalls her mother’s antics while trying to brush her teeth in the morning. 

 “I would say ‘Show me your teeth, mother’ and she would open her mouth so wide, just waiting for something to happen,” says Kay.  “I’d tell her ‘I’m the mama now’ and we would both laugh.” 

 Stress relief for the caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients is vital for the health and well-being of the caregivers themselves.  A caregiver is considered stressed if he or she experiences: denial about the disease and its effect on the person diagnosed, anger at the person with Alzheimer’s, social withdrawal from friends and activities, anxiety about the future, depression, exhaustion, sleeplessness or irritability, according to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

 Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, current treatments include dietary supplements such as Ginkgo biloba, Vitamin E and anti-inflammatory drugs.  Equally important, says Slattum, is caregiver education, environmental modification and validation therapy.

 “I don’t think there’s going to be a major breakthrough for Alzheimer’s patients sooner than five years from now,” Slattum says.

 Still, Alzheimer’s is a gradual, yet fatal disease. Cuiellette lived with the disorder for nearly 10 years before it got the best of her.

 “I think about my mother every day,” says Kay. “I just try to remember her the way she was before the Alzheimer’s got too bad.”

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications