unity in: Making African American churches more dementia-friendly

Faculty Member

Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, assistant professor

PARTNERS/COMMUNITY

African American faith communities

Living with or caregiving for dementia is challenging enough. Layering it with race makes it even more so. Fayron Epps wants to change that.

Established in 2019, the Faith Village Research Lab aims to provide African American caregivers, families, and faith communities with the tools they need to more easily and comfortably access care, education, and research resources related to dementia.

Lab founder and director Fayron Epps knew many African Americans thought of dementia as a “white disease,” but she saw clearly how it more often impacted communities of color — and how often these communities were underserved.

When she arrived at the School of Nursing as an assistant professor, those were the communities she wanted to target, creating culturally responsive programs “for us, by us.”

The Faith Village Research Lab’s Alter program currently partners with more than 45 African American faith communities in 10 states.

To participate, each organization must commit to 16 initiatives, which include training church leaders, making church buildings more accessible, creating special worship services for memory-impaired parishioners, finding new ways to make patients and families feel more accepted, and offering memory screenings, coffee hours, home visits, and respite care.

One of Epps’ most rewarding moments occurred when a woman thanked her for helping her father continue to participate in worship. The daughter was also grateful to participate in research she knew would help others; Epps’ lab connects community members with social science studies and clinical trials.

Alter is conducted in partnership with Georgia State University and supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration and other agencies. — Sylvia Wrobel