Dementia may contribute to U.S. racial wealth disparity

What is it about?

The median wealth of white Americans is 8 to 20 times that of black Americans. Black Americans are more likely to develop dementia than white Americans, but we find that at least half of them have insufficient wealth to withstand dementia's financial effects, leaving them nothing to pass on to the next generation--whereas black Americans without dementia are much better able to retain their assets.

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Why is it important?

This paper looks at the financial consequences of dementia against the background of the racial wealth gap in the United States. Dementia could exacerbate that gap. If it reduces economic well-being in the next generation, it could contribute to risk factors for dementia in that generation, placing an additional burden on black American families.