National Hispanic Family and Alzheimer’s Conference
The goal of the National Hispanic Family and Alzheimer’s Conference is to increase awareness, expand knowledge and caregiving skills, and build stronger health and social support resource networks that help families impacted by Alzheimer’s. Hispanics are one and half times more likely to be impact by the debilitating health effects of this currently non-curable disease. The projected population growth of Hispanic seniors across the country has increased the health and social implications from Alzheimer’s among their families.
The Conference will convene a diverse group of organizations from both the public and private sectors, health and social service professionals, researchers, public officials, and Alzheimer’s impacted families. The Conference objectives are:
· To review the impact, opportunities and challenges on the Hispanic family and community.
· To increase awareness, knowledge, and caregiving skills among Hispanic families and larger community.
· To strengthen the understanding and collaboration among health professionals and social service professionals in assisting Hispanic patients and their caregivers.
· To promote support and advocacy for national and state level Alzheimer’s related policy and funding support initiatives.
Alzheimer’s negatively affects the bienestar (well-being) of Hispanic families which includes:
· Reduced physical and mental capacity,
· Emotional and financial stress,
· Financial hardship, and
· Family disruption.
Family strengths, language and cultural-related ties play a central positive relationship role in care giving of Hispanic older adults and elders. When a health or other social need arises, their care giving is more often focused in home environment to a larger degree than Non-Hispanics. Indeed, Hispanics represents one of the largest care giving population groups in the country.
In spite of their family and care giving strengths, Hispanics face multiple challenges in both their understanding and care giving capacity. Some primary concerns are 1) their over-representation among poverty and low-income families, 2) weak access to health and social safety-net resources, 3) limited understanding of Alzheimer’s and related health illnesses, and 4) higher stigma levels associated with the disease.
It is critically important to increase our understanding of the prism from which Hispanics view, experience, and are impacted by Alzheimer’s. In turn, to help us improve health care, social services, and outreach that is responsive to Hispanic Alzheimer’s patients, and their care givers.
Join us in this interactive learning Conference where we will engage one-another to help address the debilitating and disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s in the Hispanic community. Discount reservations at El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel can be made clicking here.
Conference Date: November 6 & 7, 2015
Location: El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel
San Antonio, Texas 78205