NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Thousands of Alzheimer’s patients, caregivers and advocates are expected to gather in Central Park later Saturday for CaringKind’s annual Alzheimer’s Walk and Brain Health Day, where attendees can also receive free cognitive screenings.
The event comes as an estimated 7 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease – including longtime Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter. Organizers say the screenings are designed to help people identify potential memory concerns and encourage conversations with their doctors.
For Esther, the cause is personal. Her mother, Abby, battled Alzheimer’s for 16 years after being diagnosed at age 50.
“I feel like I am I I am who I am because of her,” Esther said.
Now, Esther is focused on promoting brain health in her mother’s memory.
“It’s beyond important to be proactive for brain health. I think just like getting your teeth cleaned and getting your eyes checked, you know, you do it every, you know, few months and every year you get, you know, an annual checkup,” she said.
The free screening offered through CaringKind is a brief assessment that takes about five minutes to complete. Participants are asked to remember four randomly generated words, answer several math questions and complete other simple tasks before receiving a score.
“It’s not a diagnosis, but it could be an early warning sign,” organizers said.
The results are intended to help people determine whether they should seek additional medical guidance.
“We want people to take that information back to whoever their primary care, you know, practitioner is because ultimately this is a conversation for people to have with their doctors,” a CaringKind representative said. “We have the resources now to be preventative, to be proactive, and to help people.”
Organizers say the event aims to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease while encouraging people to take a more active role in monitoring their brain health.
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