Walk to End Alzheimer’s coming to Eisenhower Park

The 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s — the Alzheimer’s Association’s largest annual fundraiser — will return to East Meadow to support breakthrough research and quality-of-life care for people with dementia on Oct 6.

The walk in Eisenhower Park is one of about 600 happening nationwide. Last year’s walk involved 1,000 participants divided into 175 teams. Together, the Long Island community raised over $330,000.

The Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter provides a community and support system for people with Alzheimer’s, their families, friends and caretakers, while raising awareness of the importance of brain health, said Community Educator Francesca Todaro.

“I feel like a lot of people that have Alzheimer’s or are confused about Alzheimer’s and other dementias, really could use the education and resources that the association can help them with,” said Todaro.

Before the walk, a Promise Garden ceremony is held, displaying solidarity where walkers carry color coordinated flowers that represent how Alzheimer’s affected their lives and the people around them.

“It is very touching to hear the stories of how people are personally affected by this disease,” Nassau Walk Committee Member Michele Targovnik said in a news release. “The Promise Garden Ceremony is special because when you see everyone around you holding different color flowers it makes you feel so supported and wonderful to be standing next to the person next to you.”

Ed Miller, the vice chair for the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter Board of Directors, has a leading role in making the past two year’s walk a success in Nassau County.

Miller joined the Long Island chapter after his father was diagnosed with dementia in 2019. Miller, his sister, and mother faced challenges in providing the care an individual with dementia requires, so he began to participate in fundraisers like the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“I did my first walk in 2022 — it moved me, and it kept moving me,” Miller said. “It’s an absolute honor to come together at Eisenhower Park for this event, and to walk together and to see a sea of purple.”

There are 426,500 people in New York aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s Dementia, and over 7 million across the country, according to the Long Island Chapter. While symptoms become severe later in life, the brain changes that cause Alzheimer’s can begin decades before symptoms start. This period of time is a critical opportunity for people at risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia to reduce the risk of the disease and catch its symptoms as early as possible.

Alzheimer’s researchers have made significant progress in treatments that improve the quality of life of Alzheimer’s patients and caretakers.

“There’s results that are getting published which show the need to continue to fund them,” Miller said.

The breakthroughs — such as a blood test that can help identify Alzheimer’s early — allow for intervention before symptoms escalate.

“There’s been a lot of breakthroughs that have come out in the news over the course of the last couple of years,” Miller said. “These are treatments that aren’t going to eradicate the disease at this point, but they are treatments, and there is hope.

“The more and more that people participate, the more funds that we could raise towards research by these outstanding doctors that have made a lot of breakthroughs,” Miller said. “I think it’s absolutely a critical time. We’re at this kind of inflection point where it’s not just an idea that’s out in the future. It’s getting more and more tangible, from my perspective.”

In addition to research, the funds raised go towards many causes that aid in the fight against illness and the challenges of seeking treatment, such as support groups, help lines and advocacy.

“This is a pivotal moment in the fight against Alzheimer’s,” Tinamarie Hardekopf, Development Director for the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter said. “There are now FDA-approved treatments that change the course of the disease. We invite everyone to join the walk so we can build on this momentum.”

To register for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, learn more about the Long Island event, and view other events, visit Alz.org or call 800-272-3900.