Alzheimer's group holds walk-run to raise funds
The Alzheimer's Association's annual Memory Walk and 5K Run to raise awareness and funds for people living with Alzheimer's disease will be held at 7 a.m. Sept. 8 at Fisherman's Wharf in Honolulu.
About 1,000 people are expected to help "Take a Step to End Alzheimer's," according to the Alzheimer's Association Aloha Chapter.
The walk, presented nationally by Genworth Financial, is the largest event to support Alzheimer services and research programs.
To organize a team or make a donation, contact the Alzheimer's Association at www.alzhi.org or call 591-2771.
The association's mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease, provide and improve care and support for all affected, and improve brain health to reduce the risk of dementia.
The association cites these facts about Alzheimer's:
» More than 5 million people, mostly over 65 years old, are estimated to have Alzheimer's disease in the United States. From 200,000 to 500,000 people under age 65 have early onset Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
» It is the seventh-leading cause of death for Americans and the fifth-leading cause of death for those over age 65.
» Deaths from Alzheimer's disease increased by 32.8 percent from 2000 to 2004 compared with an 8 percent drop in deaths from heart disease, a 2.6 percent decrease in breast cancer deaths, a 6.3 percent decrease in prostate cancer deaths and 10.4 percent decrease in stroke deaths.
» Direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias total more than $148 billion annually.
» Medicare spent $91 billion in 2005 on beneficiaries with Alzheimer's and other dementias -- a number expected to more than double to $189 billion by 2015.
» About 10 million Americans are caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia and about one out of three caregivers is 60 or older.
» Seventy percent of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias live at home, cared for by friends and families.