CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Hundreds of people supporting the fight against Alzheimer’s are expected to turn out Saturday, October 5 for the Annual Clarksville Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Liberty Park.
Registration for the event will begin at 8 a.m, followed by a ceremony at 9:15 and the walk starting at 9:30. Eliseo Chavez, Development Manager for the Tennessee Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, invites everyone to come out at 8:00 to enjoy the pre-walk festivities.
“Family teams, corporate teams can be formed. It is free to register but we’re asking the teams to do a fundraiser,” Chavez said. Money raised provides care and support for all those affected, and advances research toward an eventual cure of the disease.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease and the most common form of dementia. It destroys brain cells and, once it starts it, gets worse over time. Alzheimer’s affects all aspects of a person’s life both mentally and physically.
Chavez explained those who are registered for the walk will receive a complimentary pinwheel type flower to carry with various colors signifying their connection to the disease.
A blue flower is given to a person who has Alzheimer’s, purple shows that you have lost someone to the disease, orange means you may not have a personal connection to Alzheimer’s but you support the vision of a world without the disease, and yellow shows that you are a care giver of someone with Alzheimer’s.
The Alzheimer’s Association offers a 24-hour help line at 1-800-272-3900, which is the organization’s first line of support with master level care consultants that can answer questions about all stages of the disease.
To register to be a part of the Clarksville Walk to End Alzheimer’s visit alz.org/walk, you can also email or call Eliseo Chavez with the Alzheimer’s Association of Tennessee at echavez@alz.org or call 615-622-4175.