Alzheimer’s Research UK need YOUR help…well your feet actually.
How do I support dementia research?
With around 90,000 people living with dementia in Scotland, there is no sign as yet of a cure for this debilitating illness. There are also currently no treatments available to manage the disease by slowing its progress. The only way to achieve these goals is through continuing research. Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia charity and is committed to timely diagnosis, researching treatments and ultimately, finding a cure. Thanks to their work, the future of managing this degenerative disease has never looked brighter.
But, like all charities, Alzheimer’s Research UK depend on public support. Cue a fantastic fundraising event that Westender readers can take part in! Walk For a Cure takes place on Sunday 23rd of June in the beautiful Holyrood Park in Edinburgh. The 5KM route takes place at the base of Arthur’s Seat – so no excuse that your knees are playing up!
Funding
Funds raised on the day builds on existing work that the charity is doing. To date, there has been almost £10 million worth of research funded across 5 Universities in Scotland and in 22/23 Alzheimer’s Research UK invested 23m in research across the UK. And never have the monies been so desperately needed. It’s an extremely important juncture in the treatment of the condition with two new drugs making the news. Both show signs of slowing the progress of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. Although in early stages of the licensing progress, it’s an area that many living with the disease can only hope has a positive outcome.
It’s only the second time that the charity has held Walk for a Cure events. But those who have previously taken part have found it an extremely worthwhile cause. Olive Munro is living with Vascular Dementia. On taking part in the event last year, Olive says,
‘The event was fantastic! It was amazing to see so many folks who have been affected by dementia coming together to do something to support research. I know that developments in dementia research are likely to come too late for me, but I’m determined to do what I can to help scientists find a cure so future generations will not be affected. I have six grandchildren and I hope that in their lifetimes dementia will become something that people no longer need to worry about. But this will not happen without support for research. That is why I took part in Walk For A Cure.‘
The Key to a Cure – Teamwork
And Olive makes a valid point. If nothing changes, one in two of us will be impacted by dementia in our lifetime, either by developing it ourselves, caring for a loved one, or both. It’s a stark statistic. But it’s one that is not etched in stone. Dementia researcher Dr Conceiçáo Bettencourt is a Research Fellow with the organisation and says ‘As a dementia researcher, I look at how our genes change in frontotemporal dementia. This is teaching us more about the disease and how we could design treatments to target it. Yet to work as effectively as I can, it’s essential that I collaborate with other researchers and scientists. Because working as a team makes us all stronger.
For me, Walk for A Cure is a vital part of this teamwork. It was wonderful to be with old and new friends, and to meet the supporters who make our work possible. Their experiences really touched me last year, and they were a powerful reminder of why I chose this career in the first place. I’m really looking forward to walking with you again this summer!‘
By all accounts, there really is hope now that a diagnosis of dementia in the future will be followed by ‘So here’s what we do now…’. This will only happen with the vital research continuing. And that only happens with the kindness of the public, the commitment of the community to work, as Dr Bettencourt points out, as a team.
So get those Sketchers on, water bottle in bag, and off to Edinburgh guys. Support dementia research!
Alzheimer’s Research UK needs you.
To sign up for Alzheimer’s Research UK Walk For a Cure press HERE
For more information on the fantastic work that the charity supports and to support dementia research, visit alzheimersresearchuk.org
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