Walk to End Alzheimer’s held in Rehoboth Beach
The Annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s was held Sept. 28 at Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach.
Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. It is a degenerative brain disease that kills more people in the United States than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.It causes severe memory loss, and changes to thinking abilities and behavior that interfere with daily life, ultimately leaving people living with the disease unable to care for themselves. Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death among the top 10 that has no cure and cannot be prevented or even slowed.
The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s affects 5.8 million people in the United States, including an estimated 200,000 who are not yet age 65 and are living with Younger-Onset Alzheimer’s. Without a major scientific breakthrough, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s is projected to nearly triple by 2050.
A hallmark of every Walk to End Alzheimer’s in the country, the Promise Garden Ceremony featured hundreds of participants holding flowers that reflect their connection to Alzheimer’s: purple for those who have lost someone to the disease, yellow for anyone providing care for someone with dementia, and blue for those who have Alzheimer’s. An orange flower means there isn’t a connection to the disease, but the holder supports the cause to end Alzheimer’s. There was also a lone white flower held by a child to symbolize Alzheimer’s first survivor.
