The play, written by award-winning playwright Garrett Davis, provides a glimpse into Alzheimer’s disease and how it disproportionately affects the African American community

Pittsburgh, PA (July 11, 2018) – This Saturday, Forget Me Not, a play that shines a light on how Alzheimer’s disease is experienced within the African American community, comes to Pittsburgh. The human toll and economic burden caused by Alzheimer’s disease can be devastating. African Americans are disproportionately impacted by the disease, developing it twice as frequently as non-Hispanic Whites. African Americans also pay more out of pocket costs to care for family members with the disease.  Narrowing the health disparities associated with this disease requires that specific communities be engaged and educated on the issue.

The play takes the audience into the life of a family facing the disease and shows its impact on individuals, relationships, and entire communities. It entertains through humor and cultural perspective and resonates with its audience, especially African Americans.

“It is an honor to be able to translate a love of art into something that is more than just entertainment – that really has the potential to teach, to unite, to heal.” said Garrett Davis, Writer of Forget Me Not.

The play has been showcased in 20 cities to sold-out crowds. “We are very proud to be part of this important event, which we hope will empower African American communities in Pittsburgh and beyond,” said Dr. Oscar Lopez, Director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center, and Chief of the Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Division at the University of Pittsburgh. “We know that African Americans live with this disease at far higher rates than those of other races, and have more cardiovascular disorders, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are also risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Dr. Lopez is currently conducting research on how cardiovascular factors can increase Alzheimer’s disease vulnerability. He also investigates ways to simply, noninvasively, and conclusively diagnose Alzheimer’s disease - a major unmet need in the clinical realm of the disease. African Americans develop the disease earlier than non-Hispanic Whites and tend to have more severe symptoms by the time they are diagnosed. The inability to diagnose people earlier has several negative consequences.

First, it robs people with the disease of the time they could have before their disease is debilitating to make their needs and preferences known. Second, it prevents qualified patients from participating in the critical clinical trials that will one day enable a cure. Finally, because a cure is likely to intervene in earlier stages of the disease, if the disease cannot be diagnosed early enough, the window to effectively treat it may be missed.

“Our hope is to give African Americans a realistic perspective of what Alzheimer’s disease looks like so they will seek help and treatment rather than assume it’s normal aging,” said Stephanie Monroe, Executive Director of AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s. “By bringing to life the challenges African American families dealing with this disease face, we empower individuals with knowledge and encourage them to consider participating in clinical trials. Encouraging people to participate in clinical trials is a huge part of ensuring that when a cure is found for Alzheimer’s disease, it will work for all of us.”

Despite the potential benefits of participating in clinical trials, participation levels are far too low across all populations. Participation is lower among African Americans than other races. Fewer than five percent of clinical trial participants are African Americans, meaning that the likelihood that it is an African American who is the first person cured of the disease is strikingly slim.

“It is not only up to the researchers, industry and governments to find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease,” said George Vradenburg, Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “It is also up to the rest of us to raise our hands and step up to the plate for a cure. At the same time, we have to recognize the importance of building trust in communities that have been historically marginalized in the research community. We are proud that Forget Me Not helps to address these issues in an entertaining and empowering way.”

This event in Pittsburgh will include a panel with the following participants:

• Zinna Scott, Retired Community Resident of Homewood
• Dr. Oscar Lopez, Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Clinical and Translational Sciences, the Levidown-Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Disorders, the Chief of the Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Division at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center of Pittsburgh
• Stephanie Monroe, Executive Director of AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s
• Clayton Jacobs, Vice President of Programs and Services for the Alzheimer’s Association – Greater Pennsylvania Chapter
• Dr. Keisha Ward, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh
• Melita Terry, Outreach Coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer Disease Research Center  

Forget Me Not will take place this Saturday, 1 pm, at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh. Tickets can be purchased here for $10.

For more information or to request complimentary tickets for members of the media, contact Jordan Nachbar at [email protected] or 609-668-5313.

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Founded in 2010, UsAgainstAlzheimer's (UsA2) is an innovative non-profit organization demanding – and delivering – a solution to Alzheimer's. Driven by the suffering of millions of families, UsAgainstAlzheimer's presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure – accomplishing this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy, and strategic investments.