Alzheimer's walk scheduled for September

MOSES LAKE - Volunteers will be walking to bring attention to Alzheimer's Sept. 20, and organizers are seeking walkers and donations.

The Columbia Basin Walk to End Alzheimer's will be the first one in Grant County, Joel Loiacono said, director of the Inland Northwest chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Participants will start at the park on Yonezawa Boulevard, and walk 1.5 miles out, then back to the park, Loiacono said.

Teams and individuals will be holding fundraisers during the summer, Loiacono said. The money raised will go to help families in the Columbia Basin, and throughout eastern Washington and north Idaho, who are coping with Alzheimer's, he said.

Alzheimer's "robs people of their ability to live individually," Loiacono said, and families need a lot of help taking care of Alzheimer's patients.

Walk-day registration opens at 8:30 a.m., with an opening ceremony at 9:45 a.m. and the walk itself starting at 10 a.m.

The Moses Lake walkathon joins similar events in Tri-Cities and Spokane. Volunteers with the Alzheimer's Association live in the Basin, Loiacono said, and wanted to add a Moses Lake event.

Alzheimer's is the third leading cause of death among adults in Washington, he said, and the rate of people diagnosed with it is expected to increase dramatically, both locally and nationally, by 2025. But while age is a risk factor for Alzheimer's it can afflict much younger people, he said.

Volunteers can sign up for the walk, or make a donation, at alz.org, Loiacono said. Donations can be mailed to the Alzheimer's Association at 910 West Fifth Ave., Suite 256, Spokane, WA 99204.