Last Updated: June 11, 2019
June marks Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month – a month set aside to bring awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. One of the biggest ways to raise awareness is by participating in the Longest Day: a series of events held on the longest day of the year to honor people living with Alzheimer’s and those that love them.
Learn more about the Longest Day and how you can get involved to make an impact in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
How to Honor Loved Ones With Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is often referred to as “the long goodbye” because of its slow nature and lasting emotional and physical drain. The poem, “The Long Goodbye,” written by Ellen Miller about the disease conveys its lingering pain:
“It’s been a long time since we first felt the beginning to this end.
And today we pray before you; your family and your friends.
We’ve watched your thoughts get more obscure with every passing day;
As this heartless thing called Alzheimer’s made them fade away.
Gradually it took the gleam from those once so loving eyes.
To befall on such a giving man…it seemed so unjustified.
Stripping you of everything, leaving nothing in its place
Except a look of sadness left upon your face.
As long as we have searched, through all the tears we’ve cried
We’ve tried to find the reason for this long good-bye.
But now it’s time to take back all your memories
As you are finally free from this cruel disease.
We pledge to remember the man that you once were;
A good-hearted, giving man is all that will be heard.
And every night when we look up and see a certain star
We will know within our hearts exactly where you are.
So on this day, we say good-bye as you now depart.
Although far from our touch, never far from our hearts.”
In honor of people fighting the disease and those that love them, the Alzheimer’s Association hosts a series of events every year on the longest day of the year – the summer solstice.
On June 21, 2019, the Alzheimer’s Association will ask people all over the world to participate in the Longest Day and raise Alzheimer’s awareness and funds.
Ways to Participate in the Longest Day
Choosing an activity that you love is the best way to participate in the Longest Day.
It can be a craft night, a community run, a day at the beach or a wine tasting – anything that you want to do with a group of people. Invite your family and friends and start fundraising!
Ask people for donations and then plan your day and send the funds raised to the Alzheimer’s Association. To raise awareness, show your event on social media using the hashtags #ENDALZ and #TheLongestDay.
Every dollar raised will benefit people living with Alzheimer’s in your community. The Alzheimer’s Association will use the money raised to provide care and support for people facing Alzheimer’s through their free helpline, in-person support groups and online forums, or donate it to research and scientific proposals.
How will you and your family raise Alzheimer’s awareness and funds on the Longest Day? Share your plans with us in the comments below.
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