Alzheimer’s Disease has been on the rise since the year 2000, affecting over 5 million people in the United States alone. It is the #6 leading cause of death in our country. Stay Sharp promotes the social and cognitive benefits of game play throughout the lifespan, especially as people get older. Research shows that playing board games and participating in other mentally stimulating activities as we get older helps reduce the risk of dementia (including Alzheimer’s Disease) in older adults.1
This past October, 10 Stay Sharp committee members committed to raising $2000 for the Alzheimer’s Association by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This annual event honors those living with the disease, as well as those who have been lost and their caretakers and families.
The originally scheduled date for the event was cancelled due to bad weather, so we had our own impromptu walk in the Midtown Crossing area near Spielbound, through Dewey and Leavenworth Parks, ending at Vis Major Brewing.
The official walk was rescheduled to a month later at Stinson Park in the Aksarben area, so we got to have a second walk! The weather at the rescheduled event was beautiful and there was a great turnout. Omaha’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, one of over 600 walks held throughout the country each year, raised over $250,000 for care, support, research, awareness, and advocacy of Alzheimer’s Disease.
If you’d like to join us in the fight against Alzheimer’s, please consider a donation to our team to help us reach our $2000 goal. We’re almost there!
References
- Dartigues, J. F. et al. Playing board games, cognitive decline and dementia: a French population-based cohort study. BMJ Open 3, e002998 (2013). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002998