Volume 16, No. 1 Spring 2021

Forging Community Partnerships to Reduce Health Disparities in Low-Income African American Elders of North St. Louis at Risk for Dementia

AUTHOR(S):

  • Whitney Anne Postman, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
  • Sydney Rosenthal, Neuroscience Program and School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
  • Samantha Thompson, Laura Sankey, Kailin Leisure, Rebecca Ferron, Tayla Slay, Maureen Fischer, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA

ABSTRACT

Low-income African American elders experience disproportionately high prevalence of dementia, preventable hospitalizations, healthcare cost and caregiver burden. We describe our clinical program of group therapy services for low-income community-dwelling African American elders at risk for dementia, in partnership with two community health centers in the historic neighborhood of The Ville in North St. Louis. During our group sessions conducted in a revered setting at the heart of this neighborhood, our interventions incorporated culturally meaningful activities informed by input from participants and on-site staff. The program also promoted aging health literacy, leveraged local university and community resources for guest lectures and engaged in referrals to related health services as well as training on mobile technology devices. As a result of their involvement in our weekly group sessions, participants reported a) implementation of actionable new knowledge acquired during our activities and discussions; b) less stigma surrounding their perceived disabilities; increased utilization of local healthcare services; and c) enhanced confidence and independence with mobile technology. Preliminary data suggest that our provision of comprehensive, integrated and preventive services through our campus-community partnership can be a model for reducing health disparities that systematically affect African American elders at risk for dementia.

DOI:

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