Sunday Seniors: Walk to End Alzheimer’s Returns to Upper Valley

White River Junction — In the Upper Valley — or anywhere, really — it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t know someone who has been affected by Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. This could be a parent, a grandparent or a neighbor.

For Mary Rockwell Thon, a development specialist at the Vermont chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, that someone was her mother, a Hartford resident who died of the disease in 2013. Rockwell Thon is one of the organizers who is working to bring the nonprofit organization’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s back to the Upper Valley.

“I know she’d be glad,” Rockwell Thon said.

A walk used to be held years ago by the Massachusetts/New Hampshire chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

This year, the walk will be held on Sept. 24, at 11 a.m., at Lyman Point Park in White River Junction. It covers 2.2 miles and there is a shorter option available. Dogs on leashes are welcome.

According to statistics provided by the association, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in New Hampshire and the fifth leading cause in Vermont, which has the fourth highest Alzheimer’s death rate in the country. “We knew there was a need,” Rockwell Thon said.

“I think it’s important to have this walk because it puts the focus on a disease that right now has no cure,” said Molly Bennett, a care manager at Armistead Senior Care in Lebanon, who is involved with the walk.

The initial fundraising goal was $15,000, which was exceeded before the event’s kickoff on Aug. 15, Rockwell Thon said. The new goal is $25,000. As of Friday, more than $19,000 had been raised by 25 teams of 114 participants.

“We have some really excited people,” Thon said.

And Thon is quick to emphasize the impact of the disease.

“It’s not just a seniors’ concern,” she said, noting that more people are being diagnosed in their 40s and 50s. While it’s mostly the families of those affected by the disease who walk, it’s often multiple generations — “babies in strollers right up to those living with the disease,” Rockwell Thon said.

In addition to raising awareness, the walk connects people and families who are coping with the disease.

“If you’re a caregiver, that’s often all you do,” Rockwell Thon said. “People feel less isolated.”

Editor’s note: There’s still time to sign up for the walk. For more information, visit alz.org/vermont. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.