On the eve of Covid we premiered our film In Our Right Mind- Alzhemier's and Other Dementias Impact in Communities of Color.
Three years later we have witnessed the Alzheimer's landscape change in profound ways.
Thanks in large part to The Biden-Harris Administration and their commitment to science and government funded research, there are important developments giving a renewed sense of hope.
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In the summer of 2023, The FDA granted traditional full approval providing Medicare coverage for the drug Leqembi, the FIRST medicine proven to slow the course for people in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
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In mid 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS will release a new initiative as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to increase support and resources for caregivers. GUIDE (Guiding and Improved Dementia Experience) will focus on dementia care management-improving the quality of life for people living with dementia while reducing the strain of their unpaid caregivers.
And yet, with all the important developments and renewed support, we face huge challenges.
Almost two thirds of all Americans with Alzheimer's are women.
Sixty to seventy percent of all unpaid Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers are women. And at the intersection of these sobering statistics are women of color.
Older Black Americans are twice as likely as older Whites to have Alzheimer's or another dementia.
It is why I have refocused, updated and relaunched this site as a resource and platform for sharing information and support for caregivers , people living with the disease and all those interested. Please check in frequently and also go to our Comment section to send me your suggestions and stories.
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Gen Z Caregivers
I hope you had a chance to watch Philadelphia Fox 29 which highlighted the challenges and rewards of young caregivers like Hannah Clarke. Hannah is a Thomas Jefferson University Medical Student who is a caregiver for her mom Claudine Clarke, also a doctor, who has Frontotemporal Dementia. More and more young people are becoming caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
The Purple Affair - August 18th, Atlanta GA.
I was so honored this summer to travel to Atlanta to receive the Making A Difference Award from
the James Dixon Foundation. The Foundation honors caregivers, advocates of caregivers and
people living with Alzheimer’s and raises scholarships for medical students.
Celebration at the White House
In September President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted a brunch at the White House honoring Black Excellence. I was excited and honored to be among the hundreds of leaders from across the country who were invited to attend the celebration. As many of you know I have been in conversations with the White House Office of Public Engagement to host a screening of our film, In Our Right Mind. I will keep you posted for updates.
Journalist Hall of Fame
The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalist PABJ 50th Anniversary Gala, November 9th at Penn Museum
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In Our Right Mind in Gainesville Florida!
June 2, 2024
Thank you Gainesville! The screening of our film In Our Right Mind was a huge success. The University of Florida brought together members of the Gainesville community who gathered at the Cotton Club Museum in the historic african american community in Springhill for a powerful Sunday afternoon filled with good food , fellowship and much needed information.
Following the film, a terrific panel fielded questions and compassionately listened to observations from the audience comprised mainly of caregivers and advocates from the community.
The University of Florida surveyed the audience and here are but a few of the comments.
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The film needs to go worldwide it is so well done
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So grateful to Renee Chenault Fattah for creating such a riveting documentary highlighting the impact of AD in our community.
Special thanks to The University of Florida: Dr Shellie-Ann Levy, Dr Jeremy Grant and Research Fellow Jennifer Hunter.
Thank you to The Cotton Club Museum which provided healthy and delicious food and a backdrop steeped in our history and power of place. Thank you to a terrific panel Dr Shellie Anne Levy, Johnnie Johnson Elder Care Options and Yarissa Reyes, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Engagement at Alzheimers Association.
Second Annual African American Caregiver’s Conference - Philadelphia PA
May 21, 2024
There are more than 400,000 unpaid caregivers in the Commonwealth. While the job of caregiving is rewarding, it also exacts an economic and emotional toll. The Alzheimer’s Association of the Delaware Valley is sponsoring a day long free symposium to support caregivers.
In the Spring Edition of Johns Hopkins Magazine:
Johns Hopkins University's Pat Gatling, Esq. '79 and RCF, Esq. '79 on a panel at the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, Ireland 9/23 discussing the 2024 US Presidential Race. It's a friendship that began at Hopkins almost a half century ago and is still going strong! Read more.
Click here to read the article.
Philadelphia City Council Resolution Honoring Renee Chenault Fattah
On the last day of Black History Month and leading into Women's History Month City Council issued a resolution in recognition of my work around narrative, journalism, law and our documentary IN OUR RIGHT MIND. Thank you Councilmember Bass and City Council for such an honor! It inspires me to do more to give back to this City we love and to continue to advocate on stories of health equity, civic engagement and equality.
February 26th, 2024
Thank you First Lady Jill Biden for inviting me to the White House screening of Rustin, a powerful story of a long-erased civil rights activist. The film takes us into the world of Bayard Rustin, a West Chester native who organized the 1963 March on Washington while combating homophobia and racism. Bayard is powerfully played by Philly native and Oscar-nominated Colmon Domingo.
Film has the power to inspire understanding and change and I love that it is being viewed at the People’s House on the last week of Black History Month.#FilmForChange
December 16th, 2023
Renée Chenault Fattah, Keynote Speaker at NAACP Freedom Fund And Foot Soldier Luncheon
August 31st-September 2nd, 2023
Kennedy Summer School: A Festival of Irish and American History and Politics
Renée Chenault Fattah, Panelist discussing current state of Presidential Politics.
May 19, 2022
Renée Chenault Fattah, Keynote Speaker at Johns Hopkins
Krieger School of Arts & Sciences Master’s Commencement.
"The Power of Narrative"
Check our site for periodic Alzheimer’s News updates compiled by Science Writer and Educator, Carolyn Usrey, seen here on the left at the Premiere Screening of "In Our Right Mind in October of 2019 with my late mother Dora Taylor Chenault. Although the days pass, with each one, I seem to miss you more.
Please visit: seniorlawcenter.org for more information on resources and help for older Pennsylvanians.