During the past year, her first as a Magnolia resident, Patricia Le Roy has been struck by the number of random conversations she’s heard containing the word “Alzheimer’s.” It seemed to be the elephant in Magnolia’s drawing room.
“I was getting a sense of an undercurrent in the community that people were affected by the disease,” Le Roy recalled. “I keep hearing conversations. And I sensed there isn’t enough awareness.”
Le Roy is uniquely positioned to raise awareness on the subject: Her husband, Bob, is president and CEO of the Western and Central Washington State Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, headquartered on lower Queen Anne.
And Patricia Le Roy is the Magnolia team captain for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Sept. 23 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which starts from South Lake Union Park.
Alzheimer’s — the big A — is something of a scarlet letter the way the big C (cancer) was just two generations ago: Helplessness, even shame, took hold.
Cancer is well out of the closet and being battled on all fronts.
Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, is the new cancer.
The statistics are sobering.
Of Americans 65 and under, it is estimated one out of eight has the disease; for those age 85 and over, one out of two. Between 2000 and 2008, Alzheimer’s deaths increased by 66 percent, while all other causes of death — cancer, stroke, heart disease — decreased. In 2012, the direct cost for caring with those with Alzheimer’s may hit $200 billion.
Of all the top 10 causes of death in this country, Alzheimer’s is the only disease without prevention, cure or some means to slow its progress. Despite the numbers, more than $6 billion annually is funneled into cancer research, while less than $500 million is put into Alzheimer’s research.
Those are the numbers: The toll taken on families, individuals and caregivers by the disease is incalculable.
Patricia Le Roy lost her mother-in-law to the disease; her parents are in various stages of dementia. For Boomers like the 58-year-old Le Roy, dealing with debilitated parents is one thing: Older Boomers, approaching 70, not only have their parents to think about, but themselves.
Le Roy is also uniquely positioned to have a finger on the pulse of the community: She worships at Ascension Episcopal Church in Magnolia and is parish administrator at Magnolia Lutheran Church. She comes in contact with people affected by Alzheimer’s who need support outside normal medical channels.
The United Church of Christ in Magnolia, she notes, is one local resource with an Alzheimer’s support group.
Bob Le Roy, 65 offers another statistic: “The fastest growing segment of the population in this country is 85 and older,” he said.
But, like cancer, he added, there is hope in combating Alzheimer’s: “There are 127 drugs in trial stages. There is still so much we don’t know about the disease.”
Discovering what is knowable in unknown terrain takes research and money, Bob Le Roy reiterated — thus the importance of the walk.
Last year’s walk drew 2,500. This year’s 20th-anniversary event is targeted for 3,000 people. Purple “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” t-shirts are part of the package.
“There’s a sea of purple,” Patricia Le Roy said. “It’s pretty moving stuff. People need to understand they’re not alone.”