Use Of Specialty Memory Care For Dementia Less Likely Among People In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

People with dementia from disadvantaged neighborhoods and racial minorities are both less likely to receive care from a specialty memory center. Black patients were 59% more likely than White patients treated at the clinic to have moderate or severe dementia at their initial visit. At their first visits, 40% of Black patients and 31% of white patients met criteria for at least mild dementia, and 16% of Black patients and 10% of white patients had moderate or severe dementia.

The disparity was noted in an observational cross-sectional study utilizing electronic health record data from 2008 to 2018 to compare . . .