Several media outlets covered the Solomon Carter Fuller Memory Screening event on February 16-17, 2018, which focused on Alzheimer's disease in honor of African American History Month. 

The event was supported by the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and the Alzheimer's & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin and included continuing education for health care professionals, a community lecture, confidential memory screenings, and educational workshops for Alzheimer’s disease patient caregivers. 

Carey Gleason, PhD, associate professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology and minority recruitment co-leader, ADRC, said taking preventative steps is key to early detection. "The hope is that you change the trajectory," she explained. 

Susan Flowers Benton, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, described the impact of Alzheimer's disease on African Americans. 

"We're twice as likely to develop a dementia and a lot of the common chronic illnesses that are more prevalent in African Americans make you more vulnerable to getting Alzheimer’s or developing Alzheimer later on in life,” said Dr. Benton. 

Resources:

• Solomon Carter Fuller Memory Screening Day - Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
• "Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center hosts public health screening for Black History Month," WISC-TV, February 14, 2018
• "Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center holds free health screening," WKOW, February 17, 2018
• "Annual event Focuses on Alzheimer's disease impact on African American community," Department of Medicine, April 17, 2018

Photo caption: Dr. Carey Gleason speaks during the 2016 Solomon Carter Fuller weekend. Credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine