Thousands dance, run and craft their way through ‘The Longest Day’ for Alzheimer’s awareness

June 21 is the longest day of the year, but the Alzheimer’s Association dedicates the day to awareness of a disease that some call “the long goodbye.”

Participants in “The Longest Day” raise money by doing an activity of their choice for 16 hours, emphasizing the long journey undertaken by those living with Alzheimer’s and those caring for someone with the disease. The day’s activities ranged from running, cycling and dance marathons to playing Bridge, holding craft-a-thons and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

At least 725 teams across the country participated in the event, which had raised over $622,000 by Friday afternoon, according to the event’s progress tracking site. One team, the Sagamore Bridge Club, Syossett, N.Y., has raised more than $41,500 themselves so far.

Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S., and more than 5.1 million people live with the disease.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.