Nevada exploratory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center seeking volunteers

We are seeking research volunteers at least 55 years old who live elsewhere in Nevada than Las Vegas or Reno and are interested in participating in an observational study. 

We need individuals without memory issues as well as people with mild memory problems. A stipend will be provided as a courtesy for participation.

 Together, we can learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and how we can improve brain health for you and your neighbors. 

Learn more at nvadrc.org/LearnMore or contact our recruitment specialist at 702-701-7944.

In Rural Nevada, an Urgent Need to Reduce Dementia Disparities

Health disparities in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias are particularly striking in rural communities, where residents often go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed due to lack of access to dementia specialists. More specifically: 

• The relative risk for dementia is 80% higher for those living in rural communities 

• Survival following diagnosis is often shorter compared with those in urban communities 

Ten percent of Nevada’s population is spread across roughly 90% of its land mass, making access to healthcare challenging for those outside the urban cores of Reno and Las Vegas. 

An unfavorably low ratio of providers to population throughout the state further compounds access issues. 

Enlisting patients to fill research gaps

What’s more, those living and aging in rural communities are severely underrepresented in research. 

“The literature on people with dementia in rural areas is scarce and usually includes only a small number of non-diverse individuals with limited sets of biomedical data, largely derived from retrospective healthcare claims data,” says Justin B. Miller, PhD, Director, Nevada exploratory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (NVeADRC).

This gap in care and lack of reliable data for rural patients is the driving motivator for the NVeADRC, awarded to Cleveland Clinic Nevada in 2020 and supported by $3.3 million in funding from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.

The NVeADRC is developing novel methodologies and technology to establish a cohort of rural-dwelling older adults and collect high-quality data to share with the broader scientific community. The goal is to better understand aging in rural America, including geographic disparities and the determinants of health that may increase risk for developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias in our rural communities.

Where you 

live matters 

Rural living presents a complex set of environmental exposures, some of which promote healthy aging and longevity, such as reduced air and noise pollution, stronger sense of community, greater access to outdoor recreation and green space, and reduced stress. 

On the other hand, neighborhood disadvantage (ND) — as measured by a 17-factor Area Deprivation Index spanning population age, income, housing costs, residents per bedroom and more — is higher in most rural communities throughout the United States. However, Dr. Miller notes, “Most of the literature on ND has focused on small pockets of disadvantage within urban communities. These findings may not apply to rural communities.”

Lower education, access to quality health care, and social connectedness can also influence the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias and have also been found to differ between urban and rural communities. 

Collectively, these and other social determinants of health account for upwards of 40% of health outcomes, and addressing them is a key step toward eliminating health disparities.

Out and about: a mission for the mind

To date, the NVeADRC has enrolled more than 70 individuals from the communities of Mesquite, Pahrump and Laughlin, Nevada and neighboring communities in northwestern Arizona and southwestern Utah.

The goal is to identify individual risk factors for atypical brain aging and to intervene when and where possible to maximize everyone’s chances for successful, healthy aging.

We are seeking research volunteers at least 55 years old who live elsewhere in Nevada than Las Vegas or Reno and are interested in participating in an observational study. 

We need individuals without memory issues as well as people with mild memory problems. A stipend will be provided as a courtesy for participation.

Together, we can learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and how we can improve brain health for you and your neighbors. 

Learn more at nvadrc.org/LearnMore or contact our recruitment specialist at 702.701.7944.