Caregiving in Dementia Healthy Brain Initiative Network (HBIN) Collaborating Centers

Caregiving in Dementia Healthy Brain Initiative Network (HBIN) Collaborating Centers Healthy Brain Initiative Network (HBIN) Collaborating Centers Cognitive health and impairment are increasingly important public health issues, as the U.S. population ages and older adults live longer. Unhealthy aging, cognitive impairment, and dementia pose a growing challenge to those affected, their carers, health care systems, and our society at large in terms of poor quality of life, caregiver burden, avoidable utilization of health care, and associated costs. Our Arizona Center on Aging/ Interprofessional Geriatric Education Center goal (in response to SIP 14-002) is to participate as a Healthy Brain Initiative Collaborating Center in collaboration with the national HBIN Coordination Center and Network Partners, the AzPRC, the Arizona Alzheimers Coalition, Arizona Department of Adult and Aging Services and other collaborators to educate and empower the nation using a social ecological framework with the ultimate goal of increasing the capacity of public health agencies and their partners to implement actions within the Healthy Brain Initiative. The AzPRC has a foundation of practice-based research on chronic disease prevention and control, with a focus on Latinos living in Arizona border communities, which positions us to contribute substantively to CDCs Healthy Brain Initiative as a HBIN Collaborative Center, adding cognitive health and impairment to the portfolio of chronic diseases addressed in this important and growing population. Our aims are to 1) increase knowledge, awareness, and intentions to engage in recommended health-protective behaviors for Alzheimers disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) through active collaboration with HBIN Coordination Center activities; 2) raise public awareness by identifying and promoting culturally appropriate strategies designed to increase public awareness about cognitive impairment and dementia, to reduce conflicting messages, decrease stigma, and promote early diagnosis and intervention in Arizona border communities; and 3) assist in creating a fellowship and training opportunities.