Caregiver Training

 

 

 

Looking at the Increased Cases of Alzheimer’s Disease Among Black Americans

Research indicates that Black Americans are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease compared to other racial groups in the United States, with studies showing they are roughly 1.5 to 2 times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than white Americans. Let’s learn why together.

Presenter
Dawn Jefferson

Dawn Jefferson is the Education and Support Coordinator at Insight Memory Care Center in Fairfax, VA. She is a native New Yorker who has nurtured a 20-year career as an educator, having taught English and been an administrator at The Potomac School in McLean, VA and The Urban School of San Francisco, CA. Dawn has worked in hospital and school settings while earning a Master of Religion and Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College and spent several summers in Vermont completing another master’s degree in English at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. Dawn earned her Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School (YDS) in May 2021 and was ordained in the United Church of Christ in October 2022. She presently serves as the Minister for Mission and Justice at Hope UCC in Alexandria, VA. Dawn spent her last year in seminary researching the practical theology of dementia and considering the intentional ministry we offer to older adults. She is a certified Dementia Friendly Champion, served on the Dementia Friendly Fairfax Action Team, and hosted two monthly Dementia Care Partner Support Groups: one inspired by a UCC grant and the other for LGBTQIA+ Care Partners at Insight before joining our staff formally in the Fall of 2024.