ABSTRACT
Background The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that in the coming years the number of African American elders will continue to grow more rapidly than the number of White elders (Farrar, 2000). Despite this well-documented epidemiological trend, there are limited data on the prevalence, symptomatology, and clinical course of dementia in African American elders. Recent studies indicate that as compared to White elders, African American elders have a higher prevalence of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia (Farrar, 2000; Taylor & Doraiswamy, 2004; Baker, 1996). Several theories have evolved to explain the increased risk for dementia among African Americans, including ethnic differences in socioeconomic status, ethnic differences in rates of comorbid illnesses that influence cognitive status (e.g., cardiovascular disease), and greater lifetime exposure to chronic stress by ethnic minority elders (Schwartz et al., 2004).
