The Alzheimer’s Association invites Brainerd lakes area residents to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s by participating Sept. 26 in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

The Brainerd lakes area Walk to End Alzheimer’s continues, but instead of hosting a large gathering, the Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging participants to walk as individuals or in small groups on sidewalks, tracks and trails across the Brainerd lakes area.

“This year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be everywhere,” Sue Spalding, chief executive officer of the Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter, Alzheimer’s Association, stated in a news release. “The pandemic is changing how we walk, but it doesn’t change the need to walk. This year, more than ever, we need to come together to support all those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia. With the dollars raised, the Alzheimer’s Association can continue to provide care and support to families during these difficult times while also advancing critical research toward methods of treatment and prevention.”

The walk will be sponsored by Edward Jones, CVS Pharmacy, Northland Smiles and Good Samaritan Societies of Brainerd and Pine River. On walk day, an opening ceremony will include local walkers sharing why they walk and a presentation of Promise Flowers to honor the personal reasons participants join together to fight Alzheimer’s and all other dementia, all delivered to participants' smartphones, tablets and computers. A small group of Alzheimer’s Association staff and volunteers will create the iconic Promise Garden in a “view only” format on Walk day at Kiwanis Park in Brainerd to honor all those impacted by Alzheimer’s.

To enhance the participant experience leading up to the event and on walk day, new features are being added to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s mobile app to create an opportunity for the community to connect. Participants can use the app and new “Walk Mainstage'' to track their steps and distance, follow a virtual Walk path, manage their Facebook fundraisers and access information and resources from the Association and walk sponsors to help individuals and families affected by the disease. A new audio track is available to encourage participants along the way and to congratulate them upon completion of their walk.

“Alzheimer’s is not stopping and neither are we,” stated Brenda Conley, Community Engagement Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association. “The Walk to End Alzheimer’s will go on, and we are working to ensure all of our volunteers and participants involved will remain healthy and safe. We have an amazing community dedicated to our cause and are confident this will be an incredible event.”

More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease — the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 16 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Minnesota alone, there are more than 99,000 people living with the disease and 257,000 caregivers.

To register and receive the latest updates on this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, visit alz.org/walk .

Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.