Josie R. Johnson Leadership Project Charter - 2018

Part A

Brain Health in the African American Community

Descriptive Project Title

BrainHealth:Connectednesswith family income, education, health and wellness, and business wealth.

Project Background:

Brain Health/Cognitive decline is an under recognized, diagnosed, and treated growing Public Health issue in the African American community. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It is an irreversible progressive brain disease impacting 5.4 million Americans and their 15.9 million caregivers (mostly unpaid family members and friends). It slowly destroys brain function leading to:

  • Cognitive decline (e.g., memory loss, language difficulty, poor executive function);
  • Behavioral and psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, delusions, agitation); and
  • Declines in functional status (e.g., ability to engage in activities of daily living and self-care)

African Americans are about twice as likely and Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older whites. African Americans and Hispanics also have high incidence rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease – risk factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s.

There is a need to review the latest research to articulate and document how Brain Health’s (cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s and other dementias) impact and intersection with personal income, business wealth, education, and health and wellness in the community and AALF. This project will help raise disease awareness and may impact prioritization of AALF and HWG strategies and initiatives.

How does this disease impact the African Americancommunities?

  • Lack of disease knowledge can result in fear and burden for families
  • Some dementia symptoms that can be reversed but the lack of knowledge results in elders living in fear, silence, and poorer health due to the stigma and shame associated the disease
  • Late Diagnosis/Treatment = Greater Health Care Costs and Crisis Decisions, Care and Management
  • Families are impacted by caregivingfor a relative or friends with Alzheimer’s or other dementias health and wellness–e.g. 59% of Caregivers rate emotional stress as high to very high, 38% of the caregivers rate the physical stress as high to very high,
  • Family and business wealth are impacted byrising healthcare costs, caregiverlost wages, careers ending prematurely, and loss of key employees and business partners who are unable to remain in the workforce due to having the disease or caring for someone with the disease - e.g 57% of the caregivers went in late or left early or took time off

Project Goals:

  • Design messaging to describe the connectedness and benefits of understanding and promoting Brain Health relative to:
  • AALF’s three strategic areas:
  • Education
  • Economic Development
  • Health & Wellness
  • AALF-HWG’s priorities:
  • Advance Culturally Sensitive Trauma Informed Mental Health
  • Promote preventative health care and healthy lifestyles (Menthol Tobacco Prevention and Healthy Brain and Body – dementia and Alzheimer’s)
  • Promote access to healthy food and environment
  • Measurable Deliverable/Goal #1: Complete and summarize 5-6 key informant/stakeholder interviews within the AALF community and leaders.
  • Measurable Deliverable/Goal #2: Design messaging to describe the connectedness and benefits of understanding and promoting Brain Healthrelative to AALF’s strategies, workgroups and priorities.
  • Measurable Deliverable/Goal #3: Create a final report (3-5 pages) of on project findings, themes, community engagement/outreach experiences, intersection between AALF’s work and Brian Health consideration.

Sponsoring Organization - African American Leadership Forum-HWG

Primary Beneficiaries:

  • African American Community
  • The African American Leadership Forum’s:
  • Health and Wellness Workgroup
  • Education Workgroup
  • Economic Development Workgroup
  • AALF members, business managers, and owners

Project Coach

Robbin Frazier will provide coaching and guidance and have shared responsibility for project success. Bio:

  • AALF - Board Member
  • AALF-Health and Wellness Group Co-Chair
  • Alzheimer’s Association Director of Diversity and Inclusion
  • State of MN Alzheimer’s Disease Working Group (ADWG) - member of the Cultural Responsiveness Committee

Part B Project Approach to be completed by Fellow with Coach

Key Activity/Milestone / Participants(in addition to Fellow) / Expected Completion