Walk to End Alzheimer’s taking place Sept. 16 at The Shops at Riverwoods
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- Pictured is the start line to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s during a previous year. The 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Utah County will be held on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at The Shops at Riverwoods.
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- There will be two routes provided for those with different walking abilities at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, held at The Shops at Riverwoods. The shorter route is marked in red and the longer route is marked in blue. Both routes are wheelchair accessible.
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- At the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, each participant will receive a flower to represent why they are walking and their relationship to Alzheimer’s or dementia.
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- Statistics from 2023 for Alzheimer’s in Utah show an expected increase in the disease and a high number of unpaid caregivers.
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- People participate in one of the Walks to End Alzheimer’s across the nation. The 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Utah County will be held on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at The Shops at Riverwoods.
In 2020, 34,000 people aged 65 and older in Utah had Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to increase to 42,000 by 2025. To meet the demand of Alzheimer’s patients by 2030, the caregiving workforce needs to increase by 31.4%.
Across Utah, there are 99,000 unpaid caregivers, generally in the form of family and friends taking care of loved ones. That amounts yearly to 122 million total hours of unpaid care representing about $2.28 billion in value, according to the an Alzheimer’s Association report giving statistics for Utah in 2023.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s event will be held Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at The Shops at Riverwoods, which donated the venue for the event. Hosting the event is the Utah chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is a celebration and an opportunity to honor loved ones facing the disease and their caregivers,” said Ellen Burbank, development manager for the Utah chapter.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is an annual nationwide event, with over 600 walks held on different weekends from August to December. The first walk this year was in Park City on Aug. 19 where 260 participants raised $107,493. Fundraising lasts until the end of the year for all of the walks.
The fundraising goal for Utah County is $59,000, of which over $46,000 has already been raised before the walk next weekend. There were just over 200 registered participants as of Thursday afternoon, but Burbank said she expects well more at the walk once same-day registration and attending residents from assisted living centers in the area are accounted for.
While registration is available at the walk, Burbank said it is strongly encouraged that people sign up beforehand to receive details about the event, create a fundraising group and receive information about the benefits and resources the Alzheimer’s Association provides. More information can be found at https://bit.ly/3Z8ZL92.
Alzheimers is just one form of dementia, and this walk is to raise awareness for all types of dementia. All registered participants will receive a pinwheel flower when they arrive at the walk. There are four colors, each representing a different connection to Alzheimer’s, with participants receiving the color that represents why they are walking. Blue means “I have Alzheimer’s” or another form of dementia. Yellow means “I am supporting or caring for someone with dementia.” Orange means “I support the cause and a vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.” Purple means “I have lost someone to Alzheimer’s.”
Along with the walk, there will be other festivities such as vendors, face painting, a silent auction and a band named “Someone” performing. The festivities will go from 9-10 a.m. with the ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. and the walk starting at 10:30 a.m. after the ceremony. The two walking routes — one shorter and one longer, to ensure everyone can participate — are both wheelchair accessible.
During the ceremony before the walk begins, one white flower pinwheel will be presented to someone to carry during the walk. Burbank said, “The white flower is carried by one individual in the crowd, usually a child, and it represents the first survivor of Alzheimer’s.” She explained there has not been a survivor of Alzheimer’s to date, so the flower represents hope for the future that there will soon be a cure for the disease.
Alzheimer’s is the fifth-leading cause of death in Utah and the seventh-leading cause of death nationwide. There are 34,000 people in Utah living with Alzheimer’s, not including the more than 100 other types of dementia. “It deserves a lot more time and attention than I think it has been given in the past as far as local or community support or government support. So it deserves a lot of time and attention and funds,” Burbank said.
The funds raised through the walk will go toward supporting the Alzheimer’s Association, which provides grants for research trying to find a cure. Of the funds raised, 79% will go toward Alzheimer’s research, caregiver support and quality patient care. The remaining funds are split, with 4% going to administration costs and 17% going to future fundraising events.
For the Utah County walk, the Alzheimer’s Association has a goal to have 20% of the funds come from sponsors and the other 80% come from participant’s donations. Burbank explained they have this goal because, “This (walk) is for these families and individuals, and it allows us to have a greater connection with our participants and allows it to be their event.” This year, the donations are split almost in half between sponsors and participants.
The Alzheimer’s Association provides resources for all types of caregivers. In addition, it brings awareness to the 24/7 helpline, 1-800-272-3900, for caregivers, patients and professionals in need of help or guidance in relation to Alzheimer’s or dementia.
The FDA recently approved the first treatment for Alzheimer’s, which Burbank said is “the greatest stepping stone in the right direction. So if we can start prolonging people’s quality of life and even their lives, that’s just more time with your loved ones.”
Burbank explained one of the stigmas associated with Alzheimer’s is that it is normal to lose memory when someone gets older and that there is no hope. “Memory loss in general is not normal,” she said.
Contributing factors include modifiable risks that people can control, such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy and getting hearing aids for hearing loss, as well as unmodifiable risks such as aging, gender and ethnicity.
With new treatments being researched and one being approved, Burbank said people are seeing benefits, and that needs to be known so others can find possible treatments and donate to research. “We need to get it out there, scream it from the rooftops, that there’s hope,” she said.
The Walk to End Alzheimers could still use more volunteers. To get involved, contact Burbank at egburbank@alz.org or 385-298-1989.
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