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.

Funded by the RRF Foundation for Aging and led onsite by Dr. Karah Alexander of Alter, the 100 Minds Cognitive Screening Project, brought screenings directly to trusted, faith-based community events. Volunteers, recruited in partnership with Clark Atlanta University Whitney M. Young School of Social Work and the Atlanta Black Nurses Association, completed DCA training covering screening administration, cultural humility, confidentiality and referral protocols. Screenings used the Mini-Cog, a brief, validated tool appropriate for community settings. All participants gained valuable insights into cognitive wellness, established a brain health baseline and received brain health educational materials, a list of local resources and the opportunity to make a personal Brain Health Pledge. Participants whose screening results indicated the need for further evaluation were encouraged to make appointments to review their results with their primary care provider and have received ongoing support from the screening team to help facilitate the next steps.

We are deeply grateful to Dr. Adrienne Mims and the RRF Foundation for Aging for their visionary commitment to advancing cognitive health and empowering communities through access and education. This investment represents an important step toward expanding access to early cognitive health assessments and proactive approaches to aging well."

Jacquelyn Thornton, co-founder and CEO of SageNavigator

"Closing the dementia diagnosis gap takes more than better tools. It takes community partners who can carry this work into the spaces their neighbors already trust," said Dr. Anna Chodos, executive director of Dementia Care Aware. "Our role at DCA is to provide training on how to do dementia screening and information on related resources, while partners like Alter Dementia provide the trust and community. Reaching more than 100 older adults in a trusted setting is exactly what equitable dementia detection looks like, and it is the model the field needs more of."