By Sarah Opdahl
New Fairfield is about to be “painted purple” for the second time in as many years to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. There is a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at Town Hall on Friday, September 8 at 10:00 a.m., information sessions at the Town library and the New Fairfield Senior Center, local businesses will be decked out in purple, and more.
Encouraged by leaps in identification and two treatments recently approved by the Federal Drug Administration, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Development Manager Cheryl Podob is more enthused than ever. “By participating in New Fairfield’s Paint the Town Purple week, it not only raises awareness about Alzheimer’s and all other dementias, but also makes an impact on the 83,000 people living in CT who are dealing with this disease.”
Podob went on to say, “We are now in the Era of Treatment, with the first 2 medications that alter the course of this disease,” reminding people, “Everyone can make a difference in the lives of someone living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Your participation and donation dollars help with care and support, education programs, and research. Your donations count! Help us to END ALZ!” She mentioned, “We have $1.9 million worth of research being done right here in the state of Connecticut through Hartford HealthCare.”
The Alzheimer’s Association is excited for the chance to not only raise awareness about Alzheimer’s but also to get residents and participants excited about the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s events that are happening around the state–including one in New Milford.
Local businesses are leaning into the purple theme to recognize the week. The Cue, owned by New Fairfield’s Yorio family, is offering a special happy hour on Friday, September 8, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Meredith Yorio explained, “this is our second year participating and we are putting together a happy hour where a portion of the proceeds will go to Alzheimer’s.” Ms. Yorio noted, the restaurant will “have all sorts of specials on purple drinks.”
In addition to New Fairfield, three other towns in Fairfield County are participating in the paint your town purple campaign: Old Greenwich, Fairfield, and Westport. There are also four other towns outside Fairfield County that are Painting their Town Purple: New Milford, Torrington, Hamden, and New London.
There are six walks occurring statewide: Ocean Beach, New London on September 23; Lighthouse Point in New Haven on September 24; New Milford Green on September 30; Rockwell Park in Bristol on October 7; Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk on October 8; and Rentschler Field in East Hartford on October 28. There are over 600 walks occurring nationwide. Podob says, “We hope that people will join the walk closest to them by creating a team and raising funds to support the association. Anyone interested in joining the walk can go to http://www.alz.org/walk.”
Locally, educational sessions on healthy living for the brain and understanding Alzheimer’s and dementia will be held at the Town library on Tuesday, September 12 at 6:00 p.m. and the New Fairfield Senior Center on Thursday, September 14 at 1:00 p.m.
New Fairfield will only be purple for about a week; however, The Alzheimer’s Association will forge ahead by offering a 24/7 multilingual helpline support (1-800-272-3900) that will handle every call with the utmost care. There are helplines in every state standing at the ready with any needed Alzheimer’s resources. The association also offers family training seminars, care and consultation, safe return training, and support groups and educational programs for healthcare professionals, caregivers, and families.