The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s Volunteer Kick Off will be held on Tuesday, March 24 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the College of the Redwoods Foundation office at 527 D St., Eureka. Whether you have one hour a month or five, the Alzheimer’s Association will have something that will fit your schedule. The agenda will include learning about the Alzheimer’s Association, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and how you can get involved.
Humboldt County’s 11th annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s will take place on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Adorni Center in Eureka. A volunteer committee and a staff partner work together to plan this event. Subcommittees include team retention, team recruitment, sponsorship, advocacy, logistics, mission, and marketing. The committee meets once a month on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Senior Community Engagement Manager Kim Coelho says helping locally will have a global impact. “With one in three seniors being diagnosed with a dementia related illness, this is a disease that is going to impact everyone. Folks that are battling this disease and their family members need to know that there is local support, that they are not alone.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 3,500 people in Humboldt and Del Norte counties suffer from the fatal disease, a number projected to rise to more than 5,000 in the next decade. More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S.
Additionally, more than 11 million family and friends provide care to people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias in the U.S. The lifetime risk for Alzheimer’s starting at age 45 in one in five women, and one in 10 for men.
According to Lynn McKenna, Walk chair, “Raising funds will help us identify, slow down, and ultimately prevent this devastating disease. If you look at the millions of research dollars that have been spent on cancer, heart disease, HIV, stroke, you will see a dramatic decrease in deaths from these diseases which is wonderful. We can do the same for Alzheimer’s, we just need the research dollars to fund the research proposals.”
Jeanne O’Neale, Walk committee member and Visiting Angels team captain, adds that there is reason for hope. “In addition to the disease modifying drugs, cognitive decline can be reduced by 45% by making lifestyle choices that can keep your brain and body healthy as you age. These include exercise, staying social, learning something new, eating healthy, quitting smoking, protecting your head, getting a good night’s sleep, and oral hygiene.”
Families that are battling this disease need to know that they are not alone, that there is local support as well as nationwide support:
- Alzheimer’s Association free 24/7 Helpline, (800) 272-3900
- Alzheimer’s Association web site, www.alz.org
- Alzheimer’s Association respite grants, (800) 272-3900.
- Humboldt Senior Resource Center, Adult Day Health and Alzheimer’s Services programs, (707) 443-9747
- Visiting Angels, (707) 442-8001
- Redwood Caregiver Resource Center, (800) 834-1636
- Area 1 Agency on Aging, (707) 442-3763
- Adult Day Health Care of Mad River, (707) 822-4866
- North Coast Neuropsychology, (707) 595-7997
For more information or to RSVP, call the local Alzheimer’s Association office at (707) 832-4577, email kcoelho@alz.org or register at https://tinyurl.com/5fnk747h.