Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles Nationally Recognized For Improving Health of Older Persons.

Health/Medical Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2000

The Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles was honored recently for its efforts to improve the health of the local Latino community.

The Association was one of twelve community-based organizations from throughout the United States and Canada that received a 2000 SHARE Award from SmithKline Beecham and the University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging for bettering the health of seniors of diverse cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles' El Portal: Latino Alzheimer's project received a one-year, $50,000 Leadership Award for the program's impact on the well-being of dementia-affected adults of Latino origin.

"We started this program in 1992 because we recognized that the healthcare and social needs were not being met for Latino families affected by Alzheimer's disease," said Peter Braun, Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles. "Factors such as cultural perceptions of dementia and caregiving, lack of information, and language constraints often delay diagnosis, treatment, and the use of community services."

The Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles' El Portal: Latino Alzheimer's Project was established in response to the needs of Latinos residing in East and Southeast Los Angeles County. Selected to lead a local consortium of over 17 public, private, and voluntary agencies, the Association administered El Portal, the first locally developed practice model for promoting access to a historically underserved population. The "El Portal" (Spanish for the word Gateway) project, funded initially by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of the national Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grant to States program, provides a range of social and supportive services designed to help families handle the burdens associated with caregiving.

The SHARE Awards are a three-year program that grants a total of $4.5 million in funds. The two types of SHARE Awards given are the one-year, $50,000 Leadership Awards that recognize organizations that have had a positive, measurable impact on the well-being of diverse groups of older persons; and the two-year, $200,000 Innovation Awards that honor organizations that have proposed new approaches to improving healthcare access and outcomes for these elders.

SHARE Awardees were chosen by an independent U.S.-Canadian advisory board comprised of professionals in the fields of multiculturalism and aging, representatives of community-based organizations, and elder consumers. The awards program was held last month in Washington, D.C.

The Alzheimer's Association is the largest voluntary national health organization dedicated to conquering Alzheimer's disease through research and to providing information and support to people with Alzheimer's disease and their families. Founded in 1980, the association works through a network of local chapters across the country. The Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles serves more than 150,000 people affected with the disease and their families by providing a variety of programs and services.

Information regarding the Alzheimer's Association of Los Angeles and available services can be obtained by calling 800/660-1993; Spanish Helpline 800/633-5767; or by visiting the website at www.alzla.org.