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Intersecting Narratives in the Lives of Black Women Aging with Dementia
H. Shellae Versey. The Hastings Center Report, 2025-07-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Despite elevated risk profiles for dementia, Black women are often absent in cultural narratives about dementia. This paper explores how considering multiple and intersectional cultural narratives might advance dementia research and benefit overlooked groups and communities. Using person-centered research approaches to understand the experiences of older Black women at risk for dementia may highlight conditions contributing to elevated risk, including economic precarity, racism, and caregiving responsibilities. A full recognition of cultural narratives about dementia informs better social policy, research, and practice.
Key findings
- Despite elevated risk profiles for dementia, Black women are often absent in cultural narratives about dementia.
- This paper explores how considering multiple and intersectional cultural narratives might advance dementia research and benefit overlooked groups and communities.
- Using person-centered research approaches to understand the experiences of older Black women at risk for dementia may highlight conditions contributing to elevated risk, including economic precarity, racism, and caregiving responsibilities.
- A full recognition of cultural narratives about dementia informs better social policy, research, and practice.
Why it matters
This paper argues that Black women are often absent from cultural narratives about dementia and that person-centered approaches may highlight conditions contributing to their elevated risk, such as economic precarity, racism, and caregiving responsibilities. It is a conceptual paper and does not test a treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 16/100
Report — not peer-reviewed. It scored 18 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on institution's track record, so that was left out: it earned 17 of the 97 points we could judge it on, which is 18 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (The Hastings Center Report) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 3 / 10 | Report — not peer-reviewed. Named source is an organisational report, not a journal article. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author H. Shellae Versey: h-index 17 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 0 institution(s) in 0 countries — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40966391) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 17 / 97 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 17 of the 97 points we could judge it on is 18 out of 100. |
| Total | 18 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1002/hast.4997
- PubMed: 40966391
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Hastings Center Report →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Versey, H. S. (2025). Intersecting Narratives in the Lives of Black Women Aging with Dementia. The Hastings Center Report. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4997
Vancouver
Versey HS. Intersecting Narratives in the Lives of Black Women Aging with Dementia. The Hastings Center Report. 2025. doi:10.1002/hast.4997. PMID: 40966391.
BibTeX
@article{versey2025-40966391,
author = {Versey, H. Shellae},
title = {{Intersecting Narratives in the Lives of Black Women Aging with Dementia}},
journal = {The Hastings Center Report},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/hast.4997},
pmid = {40966391},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.4997}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.