In Episode 6 of Diversity within Dementia, we explore the different facets of Alzheimer’s and dementia within the African American community with George Dicks.

George is a Trainer and Presenter of Mental Health and functional concerns of the Chronically Mentally Ill and their families. George also works to advocate for Gay/Lesbian issues in Aging. He is a Board member of the Seattle Gay Clinic during the height of the AIDS epidemic, and a Board Member of the Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities [SCS]. He’s also been a speaker at a variety of events, including the Annual African –American Caregiver Conference in 2017, 2018, Keynote 2019; at the Fabulous Aging: LGBT/Q Aging Forum, the African-American Reach and Teach for Health [AARTH] on multiple occasions in workshops, the UW/School of Nursing: GMHS Certificate program in its inception, and podcasts on Rainier Radio in an interview with Brenda Charles.

In Episode 5 of Diversity Within Demensia, we explore the different facets of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the American Indian and Alaska Native community with Cole Allick and Gary Ferguson.

Cole is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. He currently works at the Institute for Research to Educate and Advance Community Health (IREACH) with the methods and outreach cores. Concurrently, he is working to finish his PhD in Indigenous Health at the University of North Dakota.

Dr. Ferguson serves as Faculty and Director of Outreach & Engagement at Washington State University’s Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) located in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. Originally from the Shumagin Islands community of Sand Point, Alaska he is Unangax and an enrolled member of the Qagan Tayagunin (kah-gan tai-ya-gun-gin) Tribe. Dr. Ferguson’s past positions include providing clinical services to his home region at Eastern Aleutian Tribes, serving at the ANTHC as Wellness & Prevention Director and Senior Director of Community Health Services and as Chief Executive Officer at RurAL CAP.

In Episode 4 of Diversity within Dementia, we explore the different facets of Alzheimer’s and dementia within the Asian population with Dr. Eleanor Lee.

Dr. Lee is an ARNP and received her PhD from the University of Washington School of Nursing in 1999. She now serves as a Medical Staff member for the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) and operates a private practice as a family doctor for adult family homes and nursing homes.

In Episode 3 of Diversity within Dementia, we explore the different facets of Alzheimer’s and dementia with Carolyn Parsey.

Dr. Parsey is board certified clinical neuropsychologist at the UW Medicine Memory and Brain Wellness Center, and an assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Neurology. Her expertise lies in cognitive assessment and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, including subtypes of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Her research interests include technology for promoting independence for people living with memory loss.

In Episode 2 of Diversity within Dementia, we explore the different facets of Alzheimer’s and dementia within the Latino Community with Karen Torres.

Dr. Torres is a bilingual neuropsychologist at the University of Washington Center for Brain Wellness and Memory, where she works with an interdisciplinary team to assess people with memory changes. She has been conducting neuropsychological evaluations for the Spanish-speaking community since 2007 and has worked with these communities in Los Angeles, Detroit, Boston, and Seattle. Her interests include improving the quality of health services for Spanish-speaking people with neurodegenerative diseases, providing education and interventions focused on improving and maintaining brain health, and working collaboratively with communities to improve brain health.

In Episode 1 of Diversity Within Demensia, we explore the different facets of Alzheimer’s and dementia with Maggie Christofferson.

Maggie Christofferson is an Outreach Manager at Alzheimer's Association, and has been a caregiver since 1996. She has a degree in Social Welfare and taught caregiving for the state for 7 years. She has worked at the Alzheimer's Association for almost 4 years.

Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Help Line Phone Number: +1 800-272-3900