AZ Family: Nonprofit says more Phoenix-area homeless seniors suffering from dementia

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — The nonprofit Circle the City provides free medical care to people who are homeless. However, it is now seeing a troubling trend: more seniors are becoming homeless, and many of them are suffering from dementia. “These people are very vulnerable out in the community, and they are not safe,” Dr. Brooke DeBoy said.

DeBoy is a behavioral health consultant with Circle the City. She spends her days doing outreach and treating people who are homeless and need medical care. She said getting treatment can be difficult for unsheltered folks who are alone and dealing with memory loss.

While Circle the City does as much as possible, the need is huge. “Risks that we see in homeless populations; smoking is a risk factor, trauma is a risk factor, brain injury, heart problems, diabetes. All of those things that are pretty common in homeless populations increase risks of dementia,” said DeBoy. “I can’t express how dangerous it is.”

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