AUSTIN, Texas — CBS Austin is honoring Black history month by highlighting Black women making a difference in their community. Melanie Nash is turning a difficult experience into purpose after witnessing her father’s decade-long battle with dementia. She says seeing how the disease impacted her dad and family led her to enact change by providing resources to others in an Austin community that has never had it before.
“Everyone just always referred to him as the man with the smile, that was his personality. And fortunately, he carried that into his disease,” said Nash.
Caring, jovial, and loved by many is how Nash describes her father, Ross Stansell. Nash says it was during a trip to Home Depot when she noticed something was off with her dad.
“He walked completely by his truck and we were like dad? Where are you going? He did not recognize his own vehicle. He was lost he couldn’t remember,” she said.
He was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2009. Nash says she noticed a gradual cognitive decline, he became slower in thought and movement. She would spend her weekends being his part-time caregiver until he died from the disease in 2020.
“Just to see that decline, we could see the end was getting near. It became challenging just to know It was coming,” said Nash.
Board member of the Alzheimer’s Association capital Texas chapter and the assistant director of dementia care transformation at UT Health Austin – the clinical practice of UT’s Dell Medical School, — Alyssa Aguirre says research shows Black Americans are two times more likely to develop dementia.
“So, let’s talk about why? Structural racism influences, environmental factors, such as where people can live, the quality of schools in their communities, exposure to harmful pollutants, and then you have the social-cultural factors as well, such as access to quality health care, employment prospects created by the legal system, and all of those things can, directly and indirectly, impact a person’s ability to adhere to positive health behaviors that can reduce your risk for dementia,” said Aguirre
She adds historically, Black, and Hispanic individuals have been very underrepresented in clinical trials to develop new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, but the good news is that that is changing. The Alzheimer’s Association right now is conducting a national study called new ideas that over half the participants will be individuals of color. Locally, Aguirre is helping conduct a research study that’s currently recruiting individuals over 50 who have concerns about their memory.
“I wish that there were a magic pill that we could take that would ensure that there’s no way that we would develop dementia, but I think that this is a really good time to talk about research, she said.
Nash says those statistics and witnessing her father’s 11-year battle with the disease motivated her and two other women to begin a support group for those with Alzheimer’s in East Austin. An area that’s historically never had such resources.
“So that is my purpose is to bring that light to the Alzheimer’s community that help is available,” she said.
Short-term memory loss, difficulty finding the right words, and sometimes changes like with drawl from work or personal activities that people used to find enjoyable can all be red flags of the disease. Nash says after her training is complete, she plans to have the support groups in East Austin at St. James baptist church.
“The reason that I became a passionate advocate for educating others about Alzheimer’s is that when my dad was diagnosed, he knew the importance of preparing the legal and paperwork for his circumstance. So he called me in one week and we went to the attorneys and we did the dual power of attorney healthcare, Power of Attorney. He did all of that. While he was still cognizant, so that gave a sense of relief to both my mom and myself,” said Nash.
To find ways to help fight Alzheimer’s or to become engaged in your community, you can go to ALZ.org.
