Texarkana Black/African American Community Forum about Alzheimer’s on May 14

TEXARKANA — A virtual Black/African American Community Forum regarding Alzheimer’s disease awareness will be held on Saturday, May 14.

The Dallas and Northeast Texas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will host the forum via Zoom. The Northeast Texas Alliance of Black School Educators, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Housing Authority of Texarkana, Texas, and the National PanHellenic Council are teaming up with the Alzheimer’s Association to make the event happen.

With an expected increase of 29% of Texas residents age 65 or older suffering from Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, these groups are looking to stress the importance of education and connection. Community forums are springing up across the nation regarding the issue.

“Alzheimer’s is becoming a leading cause of death amongst Black, indigenous and people of color. This forum is critical for our region, as it provides all stakeholders the opportunity to learn facts and have a transparent dialogue about Alzheimer’s,” said Lee Williams III, president of the Northeast Texas Alliance of Black School Educators, a presenting partner for the forum.

The goal of the forum is to bring together people who are experiencing the same hardships for education on the disease, along with hearing from the community about what resources are needed and how the Alzheimer’s Association can help.

“We’re doing the forum to collaborate with other community organizations to provide outlets and educational opportunities for our community. That’s our goal,” Williams said. “Through this initiative, we’re hoping to educate folks on what Alzheimer’s is, how you can know the early signs of it, how you can get resources that are available and how you can find information about caretaker networks.”

(To register for the community forum, call 1-800-272-3900, register directly at bit.ly/ TEXARKANACF, or email ahodges@alz. org.)