Damp hampers turnout but not spirit of Walk before the Walk

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Maureen Haglund, left, former marketing director for the Perry Lutheran Homes, and Quinn Adair, Perry Lutheran Homes controller and administrator, promoted the community's understanding and awareness of Alzheimer's Disease at the 2016 Walk to End Alzheimer's.

alzheimer's walkAttendance at Saturday morning’s Walk before the Walk to End Alzheimer’s might have been reduced by the rainy weather, but the clouds could not darken the commitment of members of the Perry Lutheran Home leadership team to promoting the Perry area’s understanding and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.

Maureen Haglund, marketing director for the Perry Lutheran Home, and Quinn Adair, Perry Lutheran Home controller and administrator, were on hand at the Dallas County Hospital walking trail to register walkers and provide information and t-shirts in the second annual Walk before the Walk fundraiser.

Temperatures at the start of the 8 a.m. walk were very comfortable, and the rain held off for the duration.

alzheimer's walk1Dates for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s vary and can be found on the Alzheimer’s Association website. Nearby walks include the Sept. 17 event in Des Moines, Sept. 18 in Iowa City, Sept. 24 in Harlan, Fort Dodge, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Sept. 25 in Denison, Oct. 8 in Ames and other dates and places around the Iowa and the Midwest.

The vision of the Alzheimer’s Association is a “world without Alzheimer’s.” The goal of the association’s 2016 national plan aims to give effective treatment and effective care and services to all Alzheimer’s sufferers by 2025.

There are many forms of dementia, and Alzheimer’s is just one. Dementia is the costliest disease in the U.S. but at the same time the most underfunded. Cancer research attracted $5.4 billion in research funding in fiscal year 2014, with $4 billion going toward research in heart disease, $3 billion for HIV and $1 billion for diabetes.

Research funding for Alzheimer’s disease was $560 million in 2014 but has jumped in the last two years to almost $1 billion. Specialists is Alzheimer’s research say about $2 billion per year is needed — and maybe more — for the next 10 years.

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