Connecting With Community: Walk to End Alzheimer’s fosters support, works toward finding cure

People gather for the Walk to End Alzheimer's. The walk is a fundraising event held by the Alzheimer's Association.

(Submitted Photo)

JUNE IS ALZHEIMER'S AND BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH.

Doctors diagnosed Ada Jones with Alzheimer’s disease in May 2021. She had previously been having difficulty remembering things while driving, forgetting to take her medications and experiencing frustration when she couldn’t remember things. Her mother had also had the disease approximately a decade before, so she and her husband Willie Jones, who have been married for 52 years, were familiar with it.

With the diagnosis, Willie says he felt they needed to “get out into the community” to do something to help with the cause. Last year, they decided to participate in the Cape Girardeau chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which is held in more than 600 communities across the country and is the largest event worldwide to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Willie says he is proud their team brought approximately 60 people with them to the walk. Their family and friends came from St. Louis; Belleville, Ill.; Nashville, Tenn.; Jefferson City, Mo.; Hayward City, Mo.; Sikeston, Mo.; and Paducah, Ky. They also collected donations from professionals in the community, as well as people at several churches and civic organizations throughout the region.

“It meant a whole, whole lot to me [to have so many people support us], because it shows the kind of life that we live, the kind of respect that we put out and the kind of respect that they have for us, to come all these ways and participate,” Willie says.

The experience of participating in the walk “opened a lot of eyes and a lot of doors for other people” whose loved ones are experiencing varying stages of Alzheimer’s disease, Willie says.

This is one of the main goals of the event, according to Kelly Quinn, vice president of development for the Alzheimer’s Association: To bring the community together and “introduce people to their neighbors who are walking the same journey.” It also gives people the opportunity to do something tangible that supports research to end Alzheimer’s disease.

About the disease

According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s website, Alzheimer’s disease affects nearly 7 million Americans, and one in three older Americans dies with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. More people die from the disease than from breast and prostate cancer combined, and in 2024, it is estimated the disease will cost the U.S. $360 billion. There are 11 million Americans providing unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease are women, and research shows older people who are Latino are approximately one and a half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias as older people who are white; older people who are Black are approximately twice as likely to have the disease as older people who are white. The Alzheimer’s Association is funding research to better understand why the disease affects these groups disproportionately, so a cure can be found for everyone.

Walk to End Alzheimer's participants hold up flowers that represent different types of connections to Alzheimer's disease. Anyone can register for the walk; it is free to participate, and donations for the cause can be made at alz.org/walk.

(Submitted Photo)

Alzheimer’s Association services

According to their website, the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri Chapter serves 86 counties in Missouri and 10 in Illinois, providing education, support and connection to those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, as well as their family members, caregivers and health care professionals. They also “advocate for the needs and rights of people experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and work to advance critical research toward methods of treatment, prevention, and ultimately, a cure.”

The organization provides access to free 24/7 Helpline Services anyone can call for assistance with information about memory loss, managing caregiver stress, communication techniques, housing and medical care options, legal and financial planning, and much more. The Helpline is staffed by agents and Master’s-level dementia experts; funds raised by the Walk to End Alzheimer’s go directly toward providing this resource.

The Alzheimer’s Association also provides support groups for those experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and their families, friends and caregivers, as well as modest financial assistance for respite services and care products when funds are available.

The present time is referred to as the era of treatment by the Alzheimer’s Association: In 2023, Lecanemab, an antibody intravenous infusion therapy that slows memory decline, received traditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s website, “It is the first traditionally-approved treatment that addresses the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s and changes the course of the disease in a meaningful way for people in the early stages.”

The organization continues to invest in advancing and accelerating this research, as well as in creating access to these treatments for everyone.

This, along with finding support on the journey, are the two major goals of the Alzheimer Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“The walk is a very, very instrumental part of the Association,” Quinn says. “It does bring people in the community together, and we get to see each other, and it breathes hope into your journey, wherever you are.”

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s 2024

The 2024 walk will take place Saturday, Oct. 19, at Capaha Park and Field, where the Cape Catfish play.

For Cape Catfish President Glenn Campbell, the cause is personal: Campbell’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018. Last year, when Quinn asked Campbell if the Cape Catfish would like to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association, he says he immediately said yes.

At one of the Cape Catfish games, the team hosted an Alzheimer’s Night at which the players wore purple jerseys and hats, the Alzheimer’s Association’s signature color. They had sponsors who partnered with them for the evening, and the Alzheimer’s Association had information available at the game to connect people to resources in the community. They also raised funds for the organization.

This year, they plan to do the same.

“To me, it’s all about giving back to the community,” Campbell says. “I’ve got friends [whose] parents are getting older, and we’re going through [our parents having Alzheimer’s disease], so how do you help the cause? [A parent having Alzheimer’s disease is] tough, and it’s hard. … It really is.”

Willie echoes this in his experience with his wife Ada and encourages others whose loved one is experiencing changes to seek help right away. He says his and Ada’s faith has been a support for them.

“Every day, we praise God. And it was trial and tribulation, ‘cause we wasn’t used to her not being able to do the normal, day-to-day things, and it’s just been a tough task, but my Bible tells me that God don’t put no more on you than he know that you can handle,” Wille says.

“So you know, some days get rough, but I look to where my help come from, and it comes from God, and I say a little prayer, and it’s kind of like he ease up the burden. So, I’m thankful that I know him.”

Walk to End Alzheimer's participants hold up orange flowers, which symbolize support for the cause and a vision for a world without dementia. This year's walk takes place at Capaha Park on Saturday, Oct. 19.

(Submitted Photo)

THE WALK TO END ALZHEIMER'S

Saturday, Oct. 19

Capaha Park & Field

1400 Broadway St.

Cape Girardeau

Registration at 8 a.m.

Opening Ceremony at 9 a.m.

Walk Starts at 9:30 a.m.

Register at alz.org/walk; it is free to register and open to people of all ages and abilities.

For more information, contact Anthony Burt at (314) 852-1170 or aburt@alz.org.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?

There are several ways you can be a part of furthering Alzheimer’s research that seeks to find a cure for the disease:

1. WALK.

Register for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s as an individual, or join or create a team. Find more information at alz.org/walk.

2. DONATE.

Help the Cape Girardeau Walk to End Alzheimer’s event achieve the $80,000 goal by giving to a team or to the overall goal at alz.org/walk.

3. VOLUNTEER.

You can volunteer with publicity, planning and fundraising before the event or volunteer at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s the day of the event, helping with registration, set-up, clean-up, water stops, the Promise Garden and more. Find more information and sign up at alz.org/walk, by clicking the “Volunteer” button.

ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW EXPERIENCING MEMORY LOSS, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OR DEMENTIA?

Call the Alzheimer’s Association's 24/7 Helpline at 1 (800) 272-3900 to speak with someone who can connect you with local resources and counseling support on a variety of topics. Anyone can call the Helpline, which is free to call and available in more than 200 languages.

For more information, visit alz.org/help-support/resources/helpline.

FIND LOCAL SUPPORT

To connect with local resources and a community of local people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, contact Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri Chapter’s dedicated staff partner, Southeast Missouri program manager Lydia Dover, at Ldover@alz.org.