Faith-based screenings expand early dementia detection among African Americans

Alter Dementia, Dementia Care Aware (DCA) and SageNavigator facilitated more than 100 free, community-based cognitive screenings at the 2026 Alter Dementia Summit and Aging Well Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, for the 100 Minds Screening Project. Out of 106 participants, more than 68% had never received a memory screening or discussed brain health with a healthcare professional before this project.

Alter Dementia equips faith-based organizations rooted in African American communities with dementia education, worship materials and support, while SageNavigator, is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that identifies unmet needs and mobilizes untapped opportunities for older adults and individuals living with disabilities. DCA provides health care teams with education, tools and the support necessary to offer high-quality dementia care. The joint initiative was led by Alter Dementia and SageNavigator, and dementia screening training was provided by DCA. The project aims to address gaps in early dementia diagnosis among older African American adults. The program provided confidential memory screenings to participants ages 60 and older, with a goal of reaching 100 people, and connected them with brain health planning information and services.

"Each year, the Alter Dementia Summit and Aging Well Expo bring African American faith communities together to learn, worship and talk honestly about dementia. A cognitive screening belongs in exactly this kind of environment, alongside trusted neighbors, in a space rooted in faith, with people who understand the cultural weight of the conversation," said Dr. Fayron Epps, founder of Alter Dementia. "We chose to facilitate the 100 Minds Cognitive Screening Project at the Summit and Expo because the trust was already in the room. Our job was simply to open the door."

African Americans are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, experience dementia at nearly twice the rate compared to non-Hispanic white older adults and are 35% less likely to receive a timely formal diagnosis.