Finding his calling: African American man educates his local community
When Aubrey’s mother, Edith, was diagnosed with dementia, he didn’t know much about the disease, let alone how to best care for his mother. After attending an Alzheimer’s Association education program at a local church, Aubrey knew he wanted to become a volunteer. Now, he dedicates his time working with African American community.
An independent woman
Edith was born on a farm in Virgina as one of nine children. At the age of 17, she found out she was pregnant with Aubrey. Edith needed a job. She moved to New York and began doing domestic work for a family that lived on Long Island. Eleven years later, Edith got married and had Edith’s second child, a daughter.
Edith later found employment working on the wards in a mental health facility where she worked with people who had intellectual disabilities. Over the next 32 years, Edith worked her way up to be a supervisor before eventually retiring. She then moved around the country a bit before settling down in her home state of Virgina to be closer to family.
Asking for help
Edith had always been an independent woman, capable of caring for herself. However, she found herself forgetting things and it worried her. One day, Edith wanted to make a donation to her church, and realized she couldn’t remember how to fill out the check.
“She asked me to help fill out a check,” said Aubrey. “She asked, ‘Where does the date go?’ My mom had been fiercely independent most of her life. Seeing that dramatic of a change in her, that’s what convinced me she needed help.”
Aubrey’s sister took their mother to her primary care physician who referred them to a neuropsychologist. There Edith was diagnosed with dementia.
A lack of knowledge
Among Black Americans ages 70 and older, 21.3% are living with Alzheimer’s. Older Black Americans are twice as likely as older Whites to have Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Fifty-five percent of Black Americans think that significant loss of cognitive abilities or memory is a natural part of aging rather than a disease.
When Edith was still in the early stages of the disease, Aubrey quickly realized he didn’t know much about dementia, not to mention how to properly care for someone living with the disease. Aubrey would eventually come to learn that this is true for many in the African American community. “There is a lack of knowledge,” he said. “There is a hesitancy of both dealing with [the disease] and acknowledging it. [They think their loved one is] just getting older.”
Becoming a volunteer
The more Aubrey’s mother asked for his help, the more he saw the need to seek help himself. Aubrey attended an education event on Alzheimer’s at a local church. He found the speakers to be so passionate about the disease he decided he wanted to join them. He applied to be a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Once Aubrey was settled in California, he reached back out to the local office and joined the Association as a volunteer. Prior to his retirement, Aubrey worked in higher education in Richmond, Virginia. When he saw the Community Educator volunteer position, he knew that would be a good fit for him. “I’ve done half a dozen presentations [for the Association] with senior centers in Sun Valley, and a global Christian organization,” he said. “The support I’ve gotten from the Association has been really nice. I see the Association as very well organized, in terms of value, efficiency and organization. It’s a good match to what I want to be doing as a volunteer.
Bringing education to church
The Association partners with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease within the African American community. Aubrey is working to bring this type of program to the smaller African American churches in his area.
“I’m working with Bonnie Rea, [family care specialist at the Alzheimer’s Association], crafting outreach to the African American faith community,” said Aubrey. “Including Purple Sunday, and other initiatives.
“Information is powerful, and having information offers options. Both for yourself and those in your life who might be changing. For millions of people, Alzheimer’s and dementia is part of that aging process, there are things that can be done to make that easier.
“One of those things is knowing what’s going on [with the disease], figuring out ways to make it better, [and] brain health and lifestyle [changes]. With information people can make better choices, both for themselves and for the people they care about.”
Aubrey sees his work with churches as his calling, continuously finding himself in the right place at the right time. Through his work with a local pastor, he was able to bring three education programs to St Paul Church of Sacramento in May 2025.
Becoming a pioneer
In addition to education programs, Aubrey is also volunteering for research by signing up for a clinical trial. Among African Americans, a history of exclusion from medical trials and a lasting history of discrimination from the medical establishment contribute to high levels of mistrust of clinical trials. Nearly two-thirds of Black Americans (62%) believe that medical research is biased against people of color.
Clinical trials are research studies conducted with human volunteers to determine whether treatments are safe and effective. Without clinical research and the help of participants, there can be no treatments, prevention or cure for Alzheimer’s disease. He found a trial based out of the University of California, Davis.
“I am well aware of that hesitancy of research,” said Aubrey. “For myself, the risk factors with my family history, and I’m 73 years old, are relatively high. I want to be informed about my own health. If there are biomarkers or something that gives me some early warning, I want to know about it.
“Since communication and being an educator are my gifts, if I go through that experience and it’s positive then I can share that and be more credible in advocating for people to do that. I see myself as a pioneer rather than a guinea pig.
Having faith
As of the writing of this blog, Edith is still living at her own home in Virgina. Aubry’s sister and her husband are Edith’s primary caregivers. Still, Aubrey supports his family from afar. Because of his work with the Alzheimer’s Association, Aubrey is able to offer advice on ways to better care for their mother. Additionally, he visits his mother regularly both to see her and to give his sister a much-deserved break.
“I am a person of faith; I trust and believe that teaching is a spiritual gift that I’m supposed to share,” he said. “If God has put me on this path, and dementia is in my future, before I get incapacitated, I want to use my gift. There is hope of cures, decreasing the rate of decline. I’m enthusiastic about sharing information that can be helpful.”
To become an Alzheimer’s Association volunteer visit alz.org/norcal/volunteers to find something that best fits your skills.
To learn more about clinical trials or to find one that might interest you, visit alz.org/trialmatch.
Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease in the African American community at alz.org/africanamerican
