Barrow Neurological Institute

In the past 10 years, the growth of older Latinos has far outpaced the growth of white non-Latinos in Arizona. This trend is expected to continue through 2025. Arizona is also expected to see a nearly 70-percent increase of individuals with Alzheimers disease between 2000 and 2050. As the growing Latino population ages, a rise in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease in this group is expected - making Alzheimer's education crucial for caregivers.

"There are few resources for the local Latino community to learn about Alzheimer's disease and how to provide care to a loved one affected with it," says Gale Kittle, research nurse clinician in Clinical Research at St. Joseph's. "The bilingual Latino family caregiver workshops will begin to fill this gap. We hope to learn more about unique challenges faced by Latino family caregivers so that we can develop future programs to meet those needs."

The free educational workshops are a collaborative effort among St. Joseph's, the Alzheimer's Association Desert Southwest Chapter; and the Phoenix Caregiver Cooperative Group. Workshops will take place throughout the Valley in 2007 and will be presented in both English and Spanish. Family members who attend the workshops will learn about Alzheimer's symptoms, treatments and available resources in a friendly environment from experts who are involved in the Latino community.