Address Diverse Life Experiences

Conversations about brain health should be respectful of the cultural background and life experiences of all individuals. Diverse life experiences may be related to cultural differences, literacy and health literacy levels, intellectual and developmental disabilities, social determinants of health, and other factors. Comprehensive frameworks for addressing diverse sets of life experiences are provided by multiple sources, including:

Additional resources targeted to specific populations are presented below.

“Conversations about brain health should be respectful of
the cultural background and life experiences of all individuals.”

Cultural Competency

The Diverse Elders Coalition advocates for policies and programs that improve aging with a focus on racially and ethnically diverse people; American Indians and Alaska Natives; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) people. Additionally, several publications address cultural approaches to dementia. Suggested readings include: 

A Cultural Approach to Dementia—Insights From US Latino and Other Minoritized Groups

Cultural Competency in Dementia Care: An African American Case Study

GSA has developed several resources that support cultural competency in brain health, including the following GSA Momentum Discussion podcasts:

Kickstarting Brain Health Conversations with Diverse Older Adults: A Discussion with Dr. Carl Hill, which provides insights into race, ethnicity, and Alzheimer’s disease in America and shares information about barriers and facilitators to quality dementia care for all populations.
Addressing Brain Health in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities, which discusses challenges and opportunities around brain health in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. 
Alter—Empowering African American Churches to Support Members with Dementia and Their Families, which discusses a nurse-led dementia-friendly congregation program aimed at empowering African American churches to serve all members.
Kickstarting Brain Health Conversations about LGBTQ+ Older Adults, which discusses considerations aimed at ensuring equitable and person-centered care for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and ensuring LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Addressing Brain Health in Asian American Communities, which provides key insights into the diversity of the Asian American population and addresses barriers and solutions to enhancing brain health care for this population.

A GSA Momentum Discussion webinar, Kickstarting Brain Health Conversations with Diverse Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities , reviews the challenges in kickstarting brain health conversations with older adults from diverse and underserved communities—where Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are more prevalent. The panelists offer opportunities and solutions to use the tools and resources in the KAER Toolkit to enhance brain health conversations, drive healthy brain habits, and promote early diagnosis of dementia in these communities.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are a heterogeneous population with a wide range of abilities and needs. However, a key unifying theme across these categories is that individuals have differences in cognition, communication, and function that complicate the identification and management of dementia. To address these issues, GSA developed a companion document for the KAER Toolkit, Addressing Brain Health in Adults With Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities.

Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health are nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age as well as the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, racism, climate change, and political systems. Social Determinants of Health at the CDC provides an overview of these factors. 

For more information about social determinants of health and brain health, see Effect of Social Determinants of Health on Cognition and Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias.

Kickstart | Approaches to Implement