OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT AND EDUCATION CORE Alzheimer s disease (AD) affects 5.6 million Americans regardless of race or ethnicity. Today, more than 38 million Americans are age 65 or older; this number is expected to double in the next 25 years. The oldest old people age 85+ constitute the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Currently about four million people, this population could top 19 million by 2050. The racial and ethnic makeup of the older population is also expected to become significantly more diverse. In 2006, 81% of adults age 65+ were Caucasian; by 2050 this is estimated to decrease to 61%40 with approximately 14 million Hispanics, 8.6 million African Americans, and 5.8 million older adults from other racial and ethnic groups. Inequities in income, education, health services availability, and a lack of understanding of specific cultural differences in knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes may contribute to significant disparities in health outcomes and quality of life. This includes not only differences in symptom presentation, but perceptions of disease and care. If we are to truly understand preclinical AD and its myriad to presentations, risk factors, and potential treatment options, then our cohorts that participate in observational studies, clinical trials, biomarker studies, and psychosocial research has to reflect the growing changes in the US population. The overall goal of Outreach, Recruitment, and Education Core (OREC) of the NYU ADC is to provide conduits through community engagement; collaborative efforts with other NYU Centers, ADCs, and the scientific community; and novel approaches to increase the recruitment and retention of culturally diverse research population engaged in annual longitudinal assessments, biomarker research, and autopsy studies. We propose 4 Specific Aims: (1) Facilitate recruitment and retention of participants in ADC longitudinal studies and clinical trials with special emphasis on underrepresented minority groups (URG); (2) Perform outreach activities to inform and raise awareness of lay individuals, with an emphasis on URG concerning brain aging; memory loss; early detection; biomarkers; diagnostic, treatment and care options; and promote favorable attitudes towards research participation; (3) Maintain and grow educational initiatives and training opportunities; (4) Evaluate the effectiveness of our recruitment, outreach, training and educational activities. The Core coordinates educational offerings for all ADC stakeholders, from our research participants and their family members, to medical students, residents and fellows rotating through the ADC, to faculty and staff of the University, to the general public and healthcare professionals in our community and beyond, as well as an increasing number of visiting foreign scholars.
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