From sons and daughters, siblings, spouses and caregivers to those who have lost someone to Alzheimer’s disease and those living with it, together they came out over the weekend to raise funds and awareness of an illness that afflicts one in eight older adults in Florida.
Saturday’s Jacksonville Walk to End Alzheimer’s at the University of North Florida has raised about $300,000 through Alzheimer’s Association Central & North Florida Chapter initiatives, officials said. Donations are still being accepted at alz.org/JacksonvilleWalk .
In Duval County about 17,000 people age 65 and older are estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s, a progressive brain disease that impacts thinking, memory and behavior. Florida has the second largest number of people diagnosed with it in the U.S. and 840,000 unpaid dementia caregivers, the association said.
Saturday’s walkers carried flowers representing their connection to Alzheimer’s and other dementia. Blue means someone is living with the disease, yellow is for caregivers, purple for those who have lost someone and orange shows solidarity.