![\"A](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/04\/Kavanaugh.17-300x200-300x200.jpg\")
\u201cIn these communities, home caregiving of a family member with dementia lasts longer for a variety of reasons, including access to care,\u201d said Kavanaugh, a 51ÁÔÆæ associate professor of social welfare.<\/p>\n
With support from the National Institute on Aging, Kavanaugh and several community partners are launching a two-year project that will help Latino and African American families better avert \u201ccrisis points,\u201d which are potentially dangerous incidents such as leaving the stove unattended or getting lost outside the home.<\/p>\n
Their aim is to collect representative examples of the early indicators of advancing memory loss, and head off disaster by providing this information to families and health care providers of individuals who haven\u2019t reached a crisis point yet.<\/p>\n
The researchers will consult with professional caregivers, social workers and the family members \u2013 including the youth who often care for affected family members after school while parents are still at work. Their observations have not been integrated in previous work.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see a family that is in crisis,\u201d Kavanaugh said. \u201cThey may not recognize it because, to them, it\u2019s normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project came about through longstanding relationships Kavanaugh has with community groups such as the United Community Center, Alzheimer\u2019s Association and the Milwaukee County Department on Aging.<\/p>\n
There are cultural aspects to this project, she added. People are reluctant to seek a diagnosis for fear of the stigma. For many in the African American community, engaging with medical practitioners is fraught with distrust. And language can be a barrier for Latinos.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom this study, we\u2019ll have details of how we can intervene in populations that already are not getting the care they need,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
More than 100,000 people in Wisconsin are living with dementia. Research has indicated that Alzheimer\u2019s disease strikes Latinos 1.5 times more often than it does their white counterparts. Among African Americans, the disease occurs twice as often.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With support from the National Institute on Aging, Melinda Kavanaugh and several community partners are launching a two-year project that will help Latino and African American families better avert \u201ccrisis points\u201d of dementia care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":836,"featured_media":69787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,200,175],"tags":[249],"section":[135,137],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[347,155,157],"class_list":["post-69785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-news-in-brief","category-research","tag-community-engagement","section-health","section-public-health","uwmnews-feed-community-engagement-professions","uwmnews-feed-social-welfare-criminal-justice","uwmnews-feed-social-welfare"],"yoast_head":"\n