Disparities in Dementia Occurrence and Rate of Cognitive Decline Between African American and White Long-Term Care Residents

The objective of the current study was to investigate possible racial disparities in dementia among long-term care (LTC) residents. Participants were 1,239 residents (age =50) from 61 nursing home and assisted living facilities in Maryland. Retrospective analysis was performed to compare Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT (R)) scores between African American and White participants. African American participants had 1.43 times greater odds of dementia and 1.86 times greater odds of severe-stage dementia than White residents. African American residents were significantly younger than their White peers by approximately 9 years within mild-moderate dementia levels and by 5 years at the severe stage. The rate of cognitive decline did not significantly differ by race despite a more negative curvilinear relationship between BCAT scores and age for African American participants than White participants. Implications of these findings are discussed for successful resident-centered care in LTC settings as well as for care transitions.