Florida’s largest provider of eldercare, Miami Jewish Health Systems (MJHS), recently gathered experts from across the globe to explore differing cultural attitudes toward Alzheimer’s disease and treatment methods. The inaugural Multicultural Conference on Alzheimer’s disease brought together panelists from Argentina, Brazil, China, Columbia, Cuba, Haiti, India, the Philippines and Russia to discuss how different cultures approach and treat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia disorders.
More than 240 healthcare professionals and caregivers attended recent conference, which was the first of what will become an annual event. Among the day’s highlights was the presentation of a case study demonstrating how MJHS’Memory Center, as an institution based in the diverse South Florida community, approaches treatment of Alzheimer’s disease for patients of multicultural backgrounds.
The panel of experts included Dr. Juan Young (Argentina); Nilce Moraes, RN (Brazil); Deborah Lowe, PA (China); Adriana Martinez, RN ( Columbia); Dr. Martha Corvea (Cuba); Dr. Jenny Drice (Haiti); Dr. Sameet Kumar (India); Dr. Joyce Bruce (Philippines); and Yulia Walters, MSW, Ph.D. (Russia). Miami Jewish Health Systems’ Dr. Marc Agronin, Director of Mental Health and the Memory Center at Douglas Gardens, moderated the panel discussion.
“More and more, members of our community are finding themselves linked to someone coping with Alzheimer’s or a related memory disorder, but the fact is that this is a global issue,” said Dr. Marc Agronin. “The Memory Center at Miami Jewish Health Systems is taking the lead in opening up dialogue about the cultural variances that exist in how we view and treat these disorders – all with an eye toward better understanding how memory loss affects patients and caregivers of different backgrounds.The hope is that our collaboration will help advance our work toward a cure.”
“This conference is emblematic of our system- wide focus on cross-cultural learning and understanding,” said Miami Jewish Health Systems’ CEO Jeffrey Freimark. “Having operated in a community as diverse as Miami for 70 years, Miami Jewish Health Systems has succeeded in adapting to the demographic shifts that have evolved. Our work in the area of memory loss treatment and prevention is a prime example of how embracing diverse cultural perspectives is helping to advance innovation in medicine and further our mission as a community-based organization committed to enriching lives.”
For more information about the Memory Center at Douglas Gardens and related programs at Miami Jewish Health Systems, call 305-514-8652 or visit online at miamijewishealthsystems.org.
