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Two dozen new celebrities join the Alzheimer’s Association Champion awareness campaignBecome an Alzheimer’s Champion: Alzheimer’s: An escalating epidemic Hope on the horizon

Two dozen new celebrities join the Alzheimer’s Association Champion awareness campaignBecome an Alzheimer’s Champion: Alzheimer’s: An escalating epidemic Hope on the horizon
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April 20, 2008
Email: media@alz.org
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Two dozen new celebrities join the Alzheimer’s Association Champion awareness campaign

Terrell Owens, Molly Sims, Wayne Brady featured as Alzheimer’s Association Champions

Terrell Owens, Penny Marshall, Garry Marshall, Molly Sims, Wayne Brady, Leeza Gibbons, Anthony Anderson, John Glover, Lainie Kazan, Kathy Mattea, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Bryant Gumbel, Ahmad Rashad, and Emerson Drive have joined celebrities such as Dick Van Dyke, Vivica Fox, Olympia Dukakis, Natalie Morales, Phyllis George, Shelley Fabares, Peter Gallagher, Sarah Polley, Lea Thompson, Dominic Chianese Tracie Toms, Victor Garber, Ricki Lake, Steven Pasquale, Diamond Jim (winner of the 2007 Westminster Dog Show), Kate Mulgrew, Jack Ford, David Hyde Pierce, Jean Smart, Brent Spiner, Kate Burton, Dear Abby and Bob Goen in the Alzheimer’s Association campaign to educate the public about Alzheimer’s disease.

View Champions Photo Gallery on our action site >>

These well-known personalities have lent their faces and voices to help the Alzheimer’s Association challenge 5 million Americans – one for every American living with the disease – to learn about the disease and become an Alzheimer’s Champion. The Alzheimer’s Champions have been photographed by well-known celebrity and fashion photographer, Robert Trachtenberg, in purple T-shirts featuring motivational “action” words describing how the public can get involved in the Alzheimer’s cause.    

“Alzheimer’s is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States,” said Terrell Owens, Alzheimer’s Association Champion spokesman. “Alzheimer’s has affected my own family, so I understand first-hand the impact of this disease. I am proud to support the Alzheimer’s Association as they educate people on the realities of Alzheimer’s disease so we can inspire enough support to stop it."

Become an Alzheimer’s Champion:

  • ACT now to end Alzheimer’s, learn about the disease and get involved in the fight
  • VOICE your support by becoming an advocate, help spread the word about the disease, tell your story
  • MOVE the Alzheimer’s Association’s cause forward by joining a Memory Walk or volunteering at a local chapter
  • OPEN your mind and learn the facts about Alzheimer’s, donate to the Association 

Alzheimer’s: An escalating epidemic

Figures released last month in the Alzheimer’s Association 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report show that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s. The disease is posed to strike one out of eight baby boomers. Experts predict by 2010, there will be almost half a million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease a year; and by 2050, there will be almost a million new cases each year.   According to the Alzheimer’s Association, now is the time people need to address this looming health crisis that currently has no effective disease-modifying treatments that halt or delay the progression of the disease.

Alzheimer’s is not an old person’s disease. While age is the greatest risk factor, there are currently between 200,000-500,000 people under age 65 living with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. 

In 2007, there were nearly 10 million Americans age 18 and over providing 8.5 billion hours of unpaid care to people with Alzheimer’s disease valued at $90 billion, four times more than what Medicaid pays for nursing home care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to this figure, 250,000 children age 8-18 years old are providing care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s.

Hope on the horizon

There are new treatments on the horizon – currently several drugs are in Phase III clinical trials, many show great promise at slowing or stopping the progression of Alzheimer’s. This, combined with new diagnostic tools, has the potential to change the landscape significantly, but the Alzheimer’s Association needs the public to get involved: to spread the word about Alzheimer’s, to advocate that Alzheimer’s becomes a national healthcare priority with elected officials, to raise funds to support Alzheimer’s research and care services; and to become an Alzheimer’s Champion.  To learn more about Alzheimer’s and become a Champion, visit www.alz.org.

The Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research.  Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.  Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s.  For more information, visit www.alz.org.

* The Alzheimer’s Association poll was conducted to measure knowledge and attitudes about Alzheimer’s disease. The survey was conducted online with a random sample of 1,232 men and women aged 18+ all members of the CyberPluseTM Advisory Panel. The Advisory Panel has been carefully selected to closely match US Population demographics. Research was conducted in February 2007. The overall sampling error for this survey is +/- 3% at the 95% confidence level.

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

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