Thanksgiving walk and run for Alzheimer’s draws 1,600 to Prince’s Island Park

Close to 2,000 people participated in a walk and run to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Sunday in Prince’s Island Park.

The event, hosted by Alzheimer’s Calgary, hoped to raise $350,000 to support programs and services for the families of the estimated 20,000 people living with Alzheimers and other forms of dementia in Calgary, said executive director Barb Ferguson.

“Awareness is really important because that number is set to double in 10 years,” Ferguson said. “Age is the greatest risk factor for getting dementia. So as our population ages, the numbers are going to increase accordingly.”

Ferguson said in an interview that the age range of participants spanned from newborns all the way to people in their 90s, with some families participating for the past 15 years.

“So many people are impacted by this, this condition, dementia, the whole family is so it's great to see families come out,” she said.

She said raising awareness through a walk and run also serves as a reminder that you can still remain active even if you are diagnosed with dementia.

“You can still participate fully in the community,” she said. “That's some of the messaging that we're trying to get out now, really trying to change the perceptions and attitudes about what it's like to have dementia.

“Stigma is very real around dementia,” Ferguson added. “We're trying to reduce stigma because as a result of stigma, people may not seek a diagnosis, they may socially isolate.

“So if we can really educate people about what dementia is,” she added, “and then, as I mentioned, you can live life well with dementia, that's really important messaging --because hopefully, as I say, people will seek resources earlier, and they'll have better outcomes for themselves.”

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With files from Tyler Barrow