There are more than 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s; 60,000 of them are Arkansans, and more than 175,000 are unpaid caregivers. This harrowing disease, with no known cure, takes more lives than breast and prostate cancer combined.
But a flicker of hope is growing in this dark reality. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest fundraiser to fight the disease, and the Arkansas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will host the last of five statewide walks on Nov. 7 at the Argenta Plaza.
The Arkansas Chapter serves all 75 counties and has provided free support to people living with Alzheimer’s and their families since 1986. Funds raised from the Walk go directly to daily care, meaning every step makes a difference.
“If the Alzheimer’s Association’s programs, services, research investments and advocacy were a car driving across all 75 counties of Arkansas, Walk to End Alzheimer’s would be the fuel that fills that car,” says Ian Shuttleworth, the Walk manager. “Families in attendance, who have often felt like the only ones going through this disease, look around and see a thousand neighbors who understand them exactly and are in this fight together.”
Everything the Alzheimer's Association offers, from support groups and education programs to care consultation and the 24/7 helpline, costs nothing to use because of the Walk and its participants.
“Families never see a bill from us, and that is by design, because the last thing somebody needs while they are figuring out how to care for their mother is another invoice. We are proud of that. But free to a family is not free to provide. Somebody drives to an education program three hours away. Somebody staffs the helpline at two in the morning on Christmas … Reaching our Walk fundraising goal is not a scoreboard. It is the reason a caregiver in Pulaski County gets a support group. It is the reason somebody calls the helpline at two in the morning and a real person answers. It means Alzheimer’s research will continue to advance till we find a cure.”
The Walk opens with the Promise Garden ceremony, which invites participants to pick a colored pinwheel flower to represent why they came. Purple is for those who have lost someone to Alzheimer’s; yellow is for those who have or are now caring for someone; orange is for those with no personal connection but support the cause; blue is for those living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Everyone holds up their flower, building a visual garden of solidarity.
“Every flower is a person and has such a unique story; however, we’re all in this fight together,” Ian says. “I don’t believe I’ve ever made it through this moment dry-eyed, and I hope I never do.”
Ian considers himself a "child of science" after being diagnosed with cancer at 15. Because of the help he received, he bears a sense of duty to those who have dealt with or are facing serious medical conditions.
“But even on that day, which I would mark down as one of the hardest days of my family’s life, we were blessed with a treatment plan … That is a luxury at the point of diagnosis that so many families facing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia have not been afforded.”
Over the years, the Alzheimer’s Association and the Arkansas Chapter have made significant strides in public policy and risk reduction, such as treatment trials and passing bills for early detection tools. While their work is far from over, the world is one step closer to a cure.
For more information or to register, visit alz.org/arkansas.