LOUISVILLE, Ky. — All month long, people in different cities across the state are walking to raise money for Alzheimer’s research and raise awareness for the disease. 

What You Need To Know

  • Louisville’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s is Saturday, Oct. 15

  • 2,000 people are expected to gather to raise money for research and show support for those battling Alzheimer’s and other dementias

  • The Alzheimer’s Association’s goal is to raise $400,000 through the 2022 Louisville walk

  • Walk to End Alzheimer’s events are being held in multiple other cities across the state this month as well

A couple of thousand people are expected to participate in Louisville’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which is the largest in the state.

“The walk is a gorgeous day where you get to see how many people are unfortunately affected by this disease, but come together to support those people,” said this year’s Louisville walk ambassador Andrianna Marshall. “It’s really a touching, emotional day.”

Marshall is working with the Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to share her story and garner support for the walk.

“Both of my grandparents had dementia and Alzheimer’s, so I was dealing with that from the family aspect,” Marshall recalls, as she was studying to become a nurse.

She decided she wanted to go into senior care, rather than nursing, to help people like her grandparents, especially since they were in senior care facilities a state away in Ohio.

“Especially because I knew my grandparents didn’t have us there as often as we wanted, so I wanted to be sure those who didn’t have their families there at the time still had someone to connect with,” she explained. “So, I kind of adopted all of Louisville’s seniors as my grandparent—that’s kind of how I like to say it.”

Marshall is the Community Services Representative at Shelby Farms Senior Living in Shelbyville. She builds relationships with families as they bring in their loved ones and educates them on the importance of proper care as people age and experience memory issues.

Marshall has been participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for 15 years.

The Alzheimer’s Association raised $319,000 through the Louisville walk last year. This year, the goal is to raise $400,000.

The Louisville Walk to End Alzheimer’s is at Slugger Field on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m.

Walks will also be held in Ashland, Elizabethtown, Lexington, Paducah and Somerset throughout the month. A full list of dates and details can be found on the Alzheimer’s Association website. 

Related Stories