Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Join the community of UPR donors who make this station possible. YOUR membership donation has the power to make a big difference! GIVE NOW

Alzheimer Walk Brings Awareness To Utah Community

Alzheimer’s disease affects more than five million people nationwide and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.  An event tradition decades in the making is underway this week to raise awareness and funds for the care and research of the disease.

Saturday’s Walk to End Alzheimer's event in Logan is one of more than 600 walks across the country, which together raised $57.2 million last year alone for the cause.

Spokeswoman Melissa Lee with the Alzheimer’s Association said the Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

“It brings the community together in support of the folks that are taking care of individuals with Alzheimer’s,” Lee said. “It’s raising awareness [that] if you’ve got family members that you think may be showing signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s, that there is no stigma anymore, that you need to get out and get them to the doctor and let them know that the doctors know what you’re seeing, and try to find some ways of helping your loved one.”

Lee said early diagnosis is key for effective treatment, and by using resources provided by the Alzheimer’s Association, she said care can come more quickly.

Lee said resources raised through this event will primarily aid care and research within the state, but will also fund promising research in other parts of the country.

There are 28,000 diagnosed cases of Alzheimer’s in Utah, with more than 140,000 caregivers giving 159 million hours of unpaid care a year.

For more information on the event visit the event’s website.