In Dr. Gladys Maestre, South Texas has found a national authority on memory loss. For years, Maestre has studied dementia by going door to door.

"Everywhere I go, people will pull me and say, 'My mother, my sister, I have a memory problem,'" Maestre said.

The results of her study, which was conducted through the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, astounded her. She found that close to 20% of people over 65 in the Rio Grande Valley have memory loss, versus around 12% on a national level. But she suspects the number is actually much higher — potentially up to 40% of the community.

Maestre is looking at genetic factors, health issues such as diabetes and pollution, and generational issues, including trauma and poverty.

See Full Page