When you hear the word "Alzheimer's," what comes to mind?
An elderly person who’s forgotten why they walked into a room?
A person who doesn’t recognize loved ones?
Alzheimer's disease is a specific type of dementia, which has many definitions.
"Alzheimer's is a disease of subtraction and forgetting the past, the most recent past first," said Kathleen Clark, a finance advisor and volunteer community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association. "Frontotemporal dementia, which many people might be aware that Bruce Willis suffers from … impacts differently because that's a loss of emotion. It's not a loss of memory, but it's a loss of emotion. It's a different type of brain disease, but it is still under the dementia umbrella."
Another interesting aspect of diagnosing possibility of having Alzheimer's was a clinical trial called the U.S. Pointer study, a two-year trial that focused on improving brain function in older adults.
"Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia,” said Marissa Ford, the association’s walk director. "The Alzheimer's Association … is the largest not-for-profit funder of research in the world. We have invested over 436 million dollars in research projects, over 1,100 projects, research projects on six different continents. This is a global disease, and the Alzheimer's Association is a global initiative."
More than 55 million people worldwide live with Alzheimer's. In Texas, there are about 450,000 people over the age of 65 affected by the disease. Association officials say that warning signs of a loved one potentially experiencing dementia could lead to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's Association also has an outreach to businesses, educating employees about the disease, and plans to curb it.
"It's a service that employers can offer for free to their employees," Clark said. "To have access to video learning and an education about what this disease looks like, how they can make changes to their own health today to reduce their risk factors."
Considering many who are affected by Alzheimer's – whether by the disease itself, or family members and caregivers who work with those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's – many who support the organization will gather in Corpus Christi Saturday for the annual "Walk to End Alzheimer's." The event will begin with an emotional ceremony that ties the community together.
Officials said that four different colored flowers are used to represent the walk to end Alzheimer's.
Purple flowers are carried by people who lost someone to Alzheimer's or dementia.
The yellow flower is carried by someone who is a caregiver for a loved one with the disease.
Blue flowers represent someone who has received a diagnosis.
Orange flowers are for those who wish to continue ongoing efforts to raise awareness, fund research, and work towards a future where Alzheimer's no longer exists.
Corpus Christi’s Walk to End Alzheimer's begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Heritage Park. For more information, visit the official Alzheimer's Association web site.
