Run and Walk for Alzheimer’s draws more than 1,000 participants in Calgary

Nearly 2,000 people took part in a walk and run to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s Sunday at Prince’s Island Park.

The event, organized by Alzeheimer’s Calgary, hoped to raise $350,000 to support programs and services for the families of the estimated 20,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in Calgary, director Barb Ferguson said.

“Awareness is very important because that number will double within ten years,” said Ferguson. “Age is the biggest risk factor for developing dementia. So as our population ages, the numbers will increase accordingly.”

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

“So many people are affected by this, this condition, dementia, the whole family, so it’s great to see families coming out,” she said.

She said raising awareness through walking and running is also a reminder that you can still stay active even if you’ve been diagnosed with dementia.

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

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

“So if we can really educate people about what dementia is,” she added, “and then, as I said, you can live a good life with dementia, that’s a really important message – because hopefully people, like I said, start looking for tools sooner, and they will have better results for themselves.

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With files from Tyler Barrow