YAKIMA, Wash. – The annual ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s‘ took place this morning in Yakima, drawing over 300 participants to raise awareness and hope for a cure. The event was a powerful reminder of the impact Alzheimer’s has on communities, with more than 120,000 people in Washington currently living with the disease.
Participants carried flowers of different colors, each representing a connection to Alzheimer’s. A purple flower signified the loss of a loved one, blue indicated someone experiencing Alzheimer’s or dementia, yellow represented caregivers, and orange stood for supporters of the cause.
Don Sweet, a Navy veteran and community engagement chairperson, highlighted the demographics most at risk.
“Women are two-thirds of the Alzheimer’s patients in assisted living facilities,” he said. “Veterans are 30 times more likely to get dementia or Alzheimer’s because of the trauma that they’ve been through.”
Sweet, whose mother is in the early stages of dementia, shared his personal experience.
“I’m trying to support her as much as I can,” he said. “[A] person [with Alzheimer’s] is still with us, but their mind is not. And they tend to start forgetting recent events, recent things.”
For Julie Reathaford, the walk’s manager, the cause is personal.
“I don’t just do this because I’m a supporter of the cause, but it affects me,” she said. “My stepdad has Alzheimer’s. My mom’s his caregiver, and it’s been rough.”
Reathaford emphasized the resources available through the Alzheimer’s Association.
“Navigating Alzheimer’s is rough, and that’s where we can come in,” she said. “We have so many resources. Not only do we have education and programs throughout the community, if you contact us, you can also contact us by going to the website is alz.org.”
The event raised roughly $50,000, with 77% going towards research nationwide and the remaining 23% staying locally in Yakima to combat the disease.
