From left: Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond, Knox County Circuit Court Clerk Cathy Shanks, Alzheimer's Tennessee Executive Director Janice Wade, Blount County Circuit Court Clerk Tom Hatcher, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett support "Pink Out Day."
On Friday, Sept. 18, remember to wear purple.
It'll be "Purple Out Day," and wearing purple will demonstrate your support of Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers.
Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond helped launch the inaugural Knox County “Purple Out Day” at a press conference Monday morning. He was joined by Knox Circuit Court Clerk Cathy Shanks, Blount Circuit Court Clerk Tom Hatcher, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett.
The initiative is a project of the State Court Clerks Association of Tennessee to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease, and Sept. 18 is part of a month-long fundraising campaign for Alzheimer’s Tennessee, a non-profit group that formed in 1983. Visit www.alzTennessee.org.
The need to help families dealing with Alzheimer’s is great. Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops the disease. Nationally, more than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s the sixth leading cause of death. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
Women are especially hard hit. In her 60s, a woman's estimated lifetime risk for developing Alzheimer's is 1 in 6. That’s almost twice as likely as developing breast cancer. In fact, almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer's are women.
In Tennessee, about 120,000 Tennesseans live with Alzheimer’s.
During Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, let’s remember and salute the unsung heroes – the caregivers. There are 2.5 times more women than men providing intensive “on-duty” care, 24 hours a day, for someone with Alzheimer's.
Each year, more than 400,000 caregivers deliver nearly half a billion hours of unpaid care to Alzheimer’s patients.
Mark your calendars: Wear purple on Sept. 18, and help Alzheimer's Tennessee reach more Tennessee families with programs and support.