SAN ANTONIO — Playing cards is just one of the many activities mother and son Sarah Cadenas and Thomas Brittain take part in. It’s keeping Cadenas' mind occupied.
Cadenas has Alzheimers, and Brittain is her caregiver.
“When I’m making breakfast and doing stuff, she’ll start to color, and we got the Lotería there,” Brittain said.
Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to have dementia compared to non-Latinos.
Because of the culture, the impact dementia has on an entire family, some say, is deeper for Latinos. Typically, Latinos become caregivers for their loved ones — information not reflected in research.
It’s why UT Health San Antonio is using a $15.5 million grant to study dementia and its impact on Latinos. UT Health now has a program designed to improve the quality of life for caregivers called Caring for the Caregivers.
“UT Health has a community service rep that calls you every month. Instead of you having to call the doctors, they call,” Brittain says. “‘Is there anything you need, anything your mom needs?’”
It relieves the financial and emotional strains of caregiving by partnering with grassroots organizations — offering business and banking support for customers with dementia.
According to a national study, 22% of what are called “sandwich caregivers” are Latino, meaning they handle child and adult care.
“He’s my right arm,” Cadenas said of her son.
Brittain is retired and all of his children are grown so he can spend more time with Cadenas at the memory cafe, the platicas (talks) and other programs offered by UT Health.
“It’s a double benefit. It helps my mother, and it helps me. My mother gets to help other people and we get to engage with other caregivers,” Brittain said.
It’s a reminder they are not alone.