Native Americans are 15% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, a challenge to tribal communities in Wisconsin that view it as part of the normal aging process.
GREEN BAY - As Alzheimer’s cases are expected to increase in Indigenous populations, health care professionals, such as Debbie Miller, a dementia care specialist for the Oneida Nation, are having to navigate through unique obstacles in tribal communities.
“There are some cultural sensitivities I navigate,” she said. “Some of our tribal members follow Western medicine, but others follow more traditional culture, and I am respectful of their beliefs.”
Tribal cultural values also can be an advantage when addressing Alzheimer’s with Indigenous families because of the deep respect and care for elders.
“I have tribal members in my family and we have a strong passion to care for our elders,” Miller said.
Native Americans are 15% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than whites and up to 70% more likely than Asians, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
One in three Native American elders will develop Alzheimer’s or dementia and the number of Indigenous people living with dementia is expected to increase four-fold by 2060.
That’s partly because advances in medicine are enabling people to live longer.
“There are a lot more older (tribal) members and age is the greatest risk factor (for Alzheimer’s),” said Kate Kahles, a program manager who works with tribal communities in Wisconsin for the Alzheimer’s Association.
A healthy diet can help reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s, but food options have historically been limited on rural reservations.
The U.S. government had forced Indigenous people onto reservations that were typically in areas with poor farming, which led to poor diets for generations.
That poor diet has led to a health crisis on reservations with some of the top killers for Indigenous people being heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Heart disease and cancer both caused 20% of Indigenous deaths in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Indigenous people in Wisconsin are also more than three times more likely to die from diabetes than the white population, according to the state agency.
Indigenous populations on rural reservations in Wisconsin also tend to skew older in age because of a lack of housing and jobs as younger families move to cities.
Kahles said there is typically also a lack of specialized health care, such as neurologists, in rural areas, including reservations.
About two-thirds of Native Americans say they know somebody with Alzheimer’s, but only 25% of Native Americans say they are worried about developing Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Sign up for the First Nations Wisconsin newsletter Click here to get all of our Indigenous news coverage right in your inbox
Kahles said Alzheimer’s is typically not much of a concern within tribal communities because it’s seen as part of the normal aging process and part of a person’s journey to the spirit world.
She said many tribal communities also revere long-term memories of historical events in elders and, since Alzheimer’s generally affects short-term memory, its symptoms can be easily missed.
But Kahles said tribal communities are also tight-knit and people are very caring for their families and neighbors, which is a positive for health care professionals looking to address Alzheimer’s.
“No one wants to talk about dementia,” Miller said. “It’s a scary thing. But even though it’s not a good situation, you have to think about it in order to better care for your loved ones. … Many families still don’t know I’m here, but the education programs are helping to make inroads with families.”
Miller started Memory Cafés in Oneida, which are social gatherings that allow people experiencing memory loss to connect with their loved one and build new support networks.
“Socialization is so important to the tribal community,” she said. “Those who attended love to talk about history and tracing family trees. … I tried to create activities tied to tribal history. We focused one café on the apple orchard on the reservation and discussed how it started.”
Frank Vaisvilas is a Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.You can directly support his work with a tax-deductible donation online at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Native Americans face Alzheimer's risk; Wisconsin tribes see obstacles
