MetLife Foundation awards $300,000 to help educate Latinos about dementias.

The growing Latino population in the U.S. is at greater risk for Alzheimer’s and other related dementias than is the general population. To help the Alzheimer’s Association in its efforts to inform and educate Latinos, MetLife Foundation has awarded the non-profit group $300,000 to fund Latino education initiatives nationally, as well the Association’s Internet news bureau. Over the past two decades, MetLife Foundation has contributed more than $3.2 million to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“We are grateful for MetLife Foundation’s long-standing support,” says Angela Geiger, vice president of constituent relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. “This generous renewal donation will help us continue our diversity initiatives and improve Alzheimer’s education and care services in Hispanic and Latino communities across the country.”

By 2050, the life expectancy for the Latino population in the U.S. will increase to age 87, surpassing all other ethnic groups in the nation. At the same time, the number of Latino elders with Alzheimer’s is expected to grow by more than 600 percent – from 200,000 today to 1.3 million. The problem is worse for Latinos because, at present, older members of this population have far less health insurance coverage than non-Latinos. More than 30 percent of the Latino population, and more than one-fourth of Latinos age 50 to 64 who have chronic conditions, are uninsured.

The grant will help the Alzheimer’s Association to better reach the Latino population by providing critical information about the disease on a “grassroots” level. The Latino community encounters obstacles that limit information, care, and health resources. This leads to a great need in this community for trusted information and referral sources about dementia, which the Latino culture has often just accepted as a normal part of aging.

“Alzheimer’s affects millions of individuals, and the general public relies upon the Alzheimer’s Association as the leading resource for accurate information about the disease,” says Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “MetLife Foundation is pleased to support this project, which will provide much-needed resources to the Latino community.”

MetLife Foundation was founded in 1976 by insurance giant MetLife to contribute to the company’s tradition of corporate community involvement. Grants from the Foundation support health, education, civic, and cultural programs. Regarding the elderly population, the Foundation funds programs that promote healthy aging and address issues of caregiving, intergenerational activities, mental fitness, and volunteerism. It also supports research on Alzheimer’s disease through its Awards for Medical Research program. For more information, visit www.metlife.org.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world leader in research and support for the disease. It is the first and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to finding prevention methods, treatments, and an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s. For over 25 years, the donor-supported, not-for- profit association has provided reliable information and care consultation, created supportive services for families, increased funding for dementia research, and influenced public policy changes. Much information about the association and Alzheimer’s is available at the group’s Web site and via their 24-hour helpline at 1-800-272-3900.