More than 1,500 Fort Wayne-area residents joined the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Parkview Field on Saturday, Oct. 5. Participants raised a combined total of $245,000.

The money raised through the Walk to End Alzheimer’s supports local care and support programs available to the community free of charge, including caregiver support groups, education programs and the 24/7 Helpline. It also funds Alzheimer’s and dementia research taking place in Indiana, across the country and around the globe.

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease – the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 16 million family members and friends provide care to people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Indiana alone, there are 110,000 people living with the disease and 340,000 caregivers.