Hundreds of supporters gathered at La Plata Town Hall in Charles County, Maryland, for Saturday鈥檚 Walk to End Alzheimer鈥檚.
The Walk to End Alzheimer鈥檚 leads the way in helping to find a cure for the illness, and all other dementia. The association鈥檚 walks, which take place across the nation, are the world鈥檚 largest volunteer multi-event to help spread awareness and raise money for Alzheimer鈥檚 care and research.
Among those who walked in Saturday鈥檚 event was Katie Senger lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Senger鈥檚 grandmother death was caused by Alzheimer鈥檚 when Senger was a young girl.
鈥淚t was the first funeral I’ve ever gone to. It鈥檚 especially hard because I鈥檓 named after her and I鈥檓 her baby grandchild,鈥� Senger said.
Her grandmother wasn’t the only person in her family to be affected by Alzheimer鈥檚. Her aunt Rosemarie was killed by the disease and her aunt Kathy currently suffers from the illness.
Senger first learned of the walks through her cousin Jody, who organized a virtual walk in Las Vegas last year, for their aunt Kathy who has Alzheimer鈥檚 and is in clinical trials. This fall, Senger will participate in 11 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s events in several states, including the premier and
In the D.C. area, approximately 269,000 people aged 65 and older are living with the disease and almost 590,000 family and friends are caregivers. The illness costs the region more than $14 billion in unpaid care.
In Maryland alone, 110,000 people aged 65 and older are living with the disease and about 238,000 family and friends are caregivers. The disease has cost that state about $1.2 billion dollars to the state鈥檚 Medicaid program and about $6.6 billion in unpaid care.
Meanwhile, nationwide, more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, which is now a leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 11 million family and friends provide unpaid care to those living with Alzheimer鈥檚 and other forms of dementia.
According to the Alzheimer鈥檚 Association, Alzheimer鈥檚 and dementia related deaths have increased by 16% during the pandemic.
鈥淲hen you are a caretaker or a family member, watching your loved one become somebody different, lose themselves, is heartbreaking to watch. Because you know who that person is, and they’re gone, even before they’re gone,” Senger said.
To remember the family members Senger lost to Alzheimer鈥檚, she walked holding a purple flower with her grandmother’s and aunt’s names and a flag. Carrying a purple flower means you lost someone to Alzheimer鈥檚, carrying a yellow flower means you鈥檙e a caregiver and a white flower represents hope for a cure.
鈥淭hey asked people to hold up the flower with the color of why they were there. It was it was really quite amazing. And then they also raised the white flower that will someday be the flower for the first cure,” Senger said.
Saturday鈥檚 walk in Charles County hosted more than 260 participants and met its fundraising goal of $65,000. Overall, about 79% of donations goes to Alzheimer鈥檚 care and support, which includes an online message board and a 24/7 helpline that offers assistance. The hotline is a service Senger encourages those with loved ones who have Alzheimer’s use.
鈥淭he best advice that I can give to somebody is just reach out to other people. There are support groups that the ALZ organization has for exactly that sort of thing,” Senger said. “But be willing to talk to people and be willing to cry when you need to. Because it’s a devastating thing to watch.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Senger’ aunt.聽聽
