We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Bashir Easter recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. Bashir, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My purpose was all because of my mother Deloris Pitts she was diagnosed at the age of 55 with Dementia, My family struggled as caregivers trying to care for her. The current system for caregivers seemed so hard to navigate and has shown to be disconnected with truly understanding the family caregiver’s struggles. Which led me on a journey to provide solutions to the problems. I realized that these systems needed to understand that by working together we could overcome the challenges of Dementia caregiving much more efficiently, and that is why I ultimately decided to create Melanin Minded LLC. Melanin Minded LLC is an organization that was established with the mission to be the bridge for information, service, and support for people of color with a long-term vision to empower and equip people of color to have the optimal quality of life. I changed my career path from the private sector to serving the community. My focus narrowed to helping caregivers after my mom was diagnosed with dementia. I noticed that while there were services available in the community, they were difficult to access. My family struggled to find
and provide my mom quality care for over 8 years. It’s difficult for a family to understand and cope without any information, resources or support. Later in my career, when I joined the Milwaukee County Department on Aging, I learned about all the services available to families on their journey. During my career, it was important that I make sure dementia resources were readily known to families.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Welcome to the world of “Melanin Minded,” an extraordinary organization that acts as a bridge, linking families and communities affected by Alzheimer’s disease with essential resources, unwavering support, and utmost dignity. Just as a bridge connects two distinct lands, Melanin Minded fosters profound connections among families and communities dealing with dementia. It does so by providing education, valuable resources, and a network of compassionate individuals who form a robust support system where everyone can thrive. Melanin Minded acts as an architectural marvel that helps families and communities dealing with dementia cross over from isolation to connection. It provides a safe passage for them to engage in meaningful interactions and maintain their sense of self-worth. This bridge is not just made of concrete or steel; it is constructed with love, patience, and understanding. So come join us on this incredible journey where compassion and understanding are the foundation of every step. Together, we can bridge the gap between memory loss and connection ,creating a world where individuals with Alzheimer’s disease are supported, valued, and embraced by their communities.
Melanin Minded LLC started with a focus effort to equip and empower Alzheimer’s disease and
related dementia ADRD caregivers. The first focus is Navigator coaching. This is a five-point
system that provides direct interventions to family caregivers, so they are equipped to provide
care for their loved one. We believe these intervention services will improve the self-efficacy of
family caregivers of a loved one living with Alzheimer’s Disease in Related Dementias (ADRD)
The second focus are the Adolescents. they are the invisible caregivers within the African American and LatinX community. coming directly from my recommendations from my research. “African American adolescents’ experiences caring for a relative with Dementia: a qualitative study. Melanin Minded LLC seeks to recognize the youth through a program is called the Bridge Youth Program. These youth get paid for 48 hour to develop their skills of home base care to be certified through a paid credit-based curriculum.. This intervention also provides opportunities for people with dementia to remain in the least restrictive environments and thrive as contributing members of society as long as possible.
This is an in-person course combining lecture with laboratory practice of learned skills. Which will include Alzheimer’s
disease and related Dementia’s training. All skill competencies are assessed under the guidance of a registered nurse.
We currently have had 2 c0horts that have graduated from the program.
The third focus is a dementia capable transportation service. I have developed a ridesharing app called “My Melanin Nav” Transportation under our company Melanin Minded LLC to ensure effective transportation for seniors with dementia and their caregivers. Navigator Transportation will help individuals who can no longer drive, due to the progression of the
disease, navigate the community and connect with resources and activities. They will continue to
get to the places they enjoy. This service was featured on Wisconsin’s Project Pitch It Season 7 2023 and Navigator Transportation service program won the Grand Prize for most innovative technology.
We are currently using these services to build Dementia Capable/Friendly communities. Melaninmindedllc.com
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Faith Drive
Not being afraid to fail
I understood that I am not here to focus on myself I am here to help others. I truly believe that God gave me the passion to serve others. I wake up every morning excited to find ways to help someone have a better quality of life. My mothers test is now her testimony all the trails we went through caring for her has now paved the way to make sure others have less time in struggle.
I believe that everything happens for me and not to me!
Lastly I get out of the way, when I realized that the only thing that was stopping progress was my own ways and thoughts. I changed the way I looked at life.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
The goal is to expand to other cites with these services, the major cornerstone partner or collaborators are faith-based community organizations, government agencies local, state, and federal, hospitals and universities, and private business and community agencies. We are looking to build each city using their existing infrastructure, starting with the smaller communities first. If anyone is interested in this workforce development / health plan, please reach out to bashir.easter@melaninmindedllc.com and visit melaninmindedllc.com
Contact Info:
- Website: melaninmindedllc.com
- Instagram: melaninmindedllc
- Facebook: Melanin Minded
- Linkedin: Dr. Bashir Easter
- Twitter: @DrBashirEaster
- Youtube: @breaster09
