KAYSVILLE—There are more than 6.7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050 that number is projected to increase to nearly 13 million. It is the only leading disease without a cure. 

On Sept. 23, community members, caregivers and loved ones of those living with the disease will gather at 9 a.m. at Barnes Park, 950 W. 200 North in Kaysville to join in the Weber/Davis Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The event, put on by the Alzheimer’s Association of Utah, is to help raise funds to provide services and support research to find a cure.

“It’s an intergenerational problem,” said Wendy Farr, Development Manager for the Northern Utah Alzheimer’s Association. “It’s not just grandpa and grandma. It’s their kids and grandkids who take care of them. It impacts the entire family.”

There’s less an emphasis on the walk and more on gathering to support those on the journey of living through the diagnosis, she said. “We provide resources to let them know they don’t have to do it alone.”

 A Promise Garden Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. “There are four colors represented,” said Farr. “Yellow stands for the caregiver, Blue represents those who have the diagnosis, Orange is the impact it is having on members of the community and Purple represents those who have lost someone to the illness.”

Farr said she’s volunteered for years. “Every time I walk the route uphill there is a sea of purple flowers. It’s gut wrenching to realize they represent someone who has died. But it is also uplifting, positive and hopeful to focus on research and to support one another.”

A purple bench travels from place to place giving people the opportunity to sign their loved one’s name in memory of their life. Courtesy photo

During the ceremony someone stands on the stage to represent a color, she said. “We have one white flower, usually a young person, to represent the first person who will be cured.”

A few months ago, two new treatments became available with a possible impact to slow the disease, Farr said. “In January there was expedited approval and then full approval. Then the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) came out and said they were not planning on covering the new treatment. It was very disheartening.”

As an association, they made several public comments, she said. “We have no stake in the game like pharmaceuticals. We want to make sure a patient’s family or doctor doesn't make a decision based on whether it’s covered.”

Several rallies were held at Capitol buildings in all 50 states, said Farr. “They reversed their decision and said they were going to cover it. I’ve never been a part of something that made a difference so quickly and had such a big impact. Hopefully this is the beginning of treatment for our families.”

It’s all about access, she said. “It’s exciting that we made a difference. It’s very rewarding.”

People can register for the walk ahead of time at alz.org/walk and select Utah then look under the Kaysville Davis/Weber area. “Or you can also just attend,” Farr said. “We hope by being at the park people will stumble upon us. When we tell people what we do they say, ‘I wish I had known about you two years ago.’”

The walk goes along a route with one that is shorter or one that is longer, she said. “Don’t get hung up on the walk part. It can be intergenerational with people walking with strollers while grandma stays back at the park.”

Farr said they will have a park bench that they take from place to place. “It is a memory bench to give families the opportunity to write a loved one’s name on it. To see people writing a loved one’s name is pretty impactful. It also gives an additional moment to pause for those who didn’t have the opportunity to be in an era of treatment like now.”

No one can remove the journey, she said. “It is what it is, but we can support and maybe take away some of the pebbles along the pathway and make it a little smoother.”

Barnes Park is located at 950 W. 200 North, Kaysville.