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  • Perspective
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A cultural approach to dementia — insights from US Latino and other minoritized groups

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 18, pages 307–314 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Alzheimer disease and related dementias present considerable challenges to health-care and medical systems worldwide. In the USA, older Black and Latino individuals are more likely than older white individuals to have Alzheimer disease and related dementias. In this Perspective, we leverage our experience and expertise with older US Latino groups to review and discuss the need to integrate cultural factors into dementia research and care. We examine the importance of considering the effects of cultural factors on clinical presentation and diagnosis, dementia risk, clinical research and recruitment, and caregiving practices, with a focus on minoritized groups in the USA. We highlight critical gaps in the literature to stimulate future research aimed at improving the prevention and early detection of Alzheimer disease and related dementias and developing novel treatments and interventions across ethnoracially diverse populations. In addition, we briefly discuss some of our own initiatives to promote research and clinical care among Latino populations living in the USA.

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Acknowledgements

The authors received grants from the NIH, the Alzheimer’s Association and the Massachusetts General Hospital Executive Committee on Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Clara Vila-Castelar, Joshua T. Fox-Fuller, Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez, Dorothee Schoemaker & Yakeel T. Quiroz

  2. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Joshua T. Fox-Fuller

  3. Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Yakeel T. Quiroz

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  1. Clara Vila-Castelar
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Vila-Castelar, C., Fox-Fuller, J.T., Guzmán-Vélez, E. et al. A cultural approach to dementia — insights from US Latino and other minoritized groups. Nat Rev Neurol 18, 307–314 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-022-00630-z

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