Walk to End Alzheimer’s: How to Get Involved

Join a Walk, Start a Team and Help Support the Fight Against Alzheimer’s

For many families, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s is personal. It certainly is for us. Mike’s mom is living with advanced Alzheimer’s. Kim’s mom has moderate Alzheimer’s & Vascular Dementia. Our family knows firsthand the challenges the disease brings.

In this interview, Mike talks with Raegan Scott, Vice Chair of the Capital of Texas Alzheimer’s Association board, who also has a mom with Alzheimer’s and already lost her dad to the disease. They discuss how the Walk to End Alzheimer’s supports Alzheimer’s research, advocacy and resources for families, and the different ways you can get involved.

Parenting Aging Parents has a team participating in the Austin Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Circuit of The Americas. If you’re in the Austin area, we’d love to have you join us. And if you’re elsewhere in the country, you can participate in a Walk or create a team in your own community.

Get Involved

Join or Support the Parenting Aging Parents Team

Join us at the Austin Walk to End Alzheimer’s on November 7, 2026, at Circuit of The Americas. You can sign up to walk with the Parenting Aging Parents team or make a donation to support our team.

Join or Support the PAP Team

Start a Parenting Aging Parents Team in Your Community

Not in Austin? Start a regional Parenting Aging Parents team and participate in a Walk to End Alzheimer’s in your community. Your local team will be part of the overall Parenting Aging Parents effort.

Start a Team in Your Community

Key Takeaways

There are many ways to get involved. You can join an existing Walk to End Alzheimer’s team, donate to support a team or participant, or create a team in your own community.
Walks take place across the country. The Austin Walk is November 7, 2026, but Walk to End Alzheimer’s events are held in communities nationwide at different times throughout the year.
Funds raised support more than research. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, fundraising helps support Alzheimer’s and dementia research as well as care and support programs and advocacy efforts.
You don’t have to wait for Walk day to help. Fundraising takes place throughout the year, so you can participate or donate even if your local Walk has already taken place.
For many participants, the Walk is personal. Both Mike and Raegan have mothers living with Alzheimer’s, and Raegan also lost her father to the disease. Participating can be a way for families affected by Alzheimer’s to come together while supporting efforts to fight the disease.

Common Questions About the Walk to End Alzheimer’s

How can I participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s?
You can join an existing team, create your own team or participate as an individual. Walks are held in communities across the country, so you can find an event near you and choose how you’d like to participate.

Can I support the Parenting Aging Parents team without walking?
Yes. You can make a donation to support the Parenting Aging Parents team even if you aren’t able to participate in the Austin Walk.

When and where is the Austin Walk to End Alzheimer’s?
The 2026 Austin Walk to End Alzheimer’s is Saturday, November 7, at Circuit of The Americas. Parenting Aging Parents will have a team participating, and you’re welcome to join us or support our team with a donation.

Where does the money raised through the Walk to End Alzheimer’s go?
The Alzheimer’s Association uses funds raised to support Alzheimer’s and dementia research, care and support programs for families and caregivers, and advocacy efforts.

Is there a deadline to donate or raise money?
Fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Association takes place throughout the year. You can continue supporting the organization even after a local Walk has taken place.

Related Alzheimer’s Resources

What Is Someone with Alzheimer’s Thinking? Insights from Dr. Peter Rabins
Dr. Peter Rabins, co-author of The 36-Hour Day, explains what may be happening inside the mind of someone living with Alzheimer’s disease and how understanding their perspective can help caregivers.

Early Signs of Dementia: What a Neuropsychologist Wants Families to Know
Neuropsychologist Dr. Alexandra Clark explains how to distinguish possible warning signs of dementia from normal aging and when a cognitive evaluation may be helpful.

You Can Help Fight Dementia. Here’s How (It’s Not What You Think)
Courtney Kloske, PhD, of the Alzheimer’s Association explains why people with dementia, caregivers and healthy volunteers are all needed for dementia research and how to explore opportunities to participate.

Read the full transcript

Transcript of Interview: “Walk to End Alzheimer’s: How to Get Involved“ Mike Barnes: [00:00:00] Many of you know that Alzheimer’s is very dear to me because of my mom having very advanced Alzheimer’s. So the Walk to End Alzheimer’s is coming up around the country, but especially in Austin, on November the 7th. I wanna talk to Reagan Scott about this because you’re so involved with Alzheimer’s Association. You know all about the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Yes. And tell me about what this money does to help end this disease. Raegan Scott: Oh, this is awesome. Yeah, the, it’s near and dear to my heart as well. My, mother also is living with Alzheimer’s. I lost my father also to Alzheimer’s. and so I got connected with the Alzheimer’s Association through my mom’s assisted living and have been participating on the Walk Committee. So the Walk Committee is responsible for, fundraising, recruiting teams to fundraise for the walk. and then I’m now also vice-chair of our board that is responsible for sponsorships and recruiting more board members, recruiting more, walk teams as well with the committee. [00:01:00] while the Austin walk is on November the 7th, the walks around the country are all throughout the year. In fact, the, Capital of Texas chapter that we are a part of here actually has five different walks in Williamson County, in the Hill Country, in Waco, in Austin- And I think Fredericksburg. I should know that. Apologies, but there are five different walks around Central Texas, and then walks all around the country from each chapter. In addition to the Walk to Ends Alzheimer’s, we also do fundraising, through a Do What You Love campaign. So if you play pickleball or- mahjong or you like basketball- you can host a fundraising event, to fundraise that way. But I think what’s important to understand is the Alzheimer’s [00:02:00] Association is the, world’s largest research, funding of research for Alzheimer’s and dementia, and we also support volunteers for our care and support for family members and caregivers like you and I that care for someone living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. And, we also have a public health policy arm that is advocacy to, For those of you in Texas, last year we passed DPRIT, which is $7 billion of funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research. Right now in front of the federal government, we also have the ASAP Act, which will, The Alzheimer’s Association funded research to develop a blood test to detect the amyloid plaques in your brain. And now, and the FDA has approved that, and now our advocacy groups, so through our fundraising, we funded the research, and through our fundraising we are funding the advocates that are lobbying at a political level to, for the legislature to take it up so that it will [00:03:00] then be covered by Medicare. So now we’re moving the research into earlier detection and, other preventative-type care as well. So being involved- in the walk and having a team for the walk, really expands all of the branches of what the Alzheimer’s Association can do for each of us. Mike Barnes: And I like how you say being involved, having a team, because there’s a couple of different ways you can do it. Yeah. Like Parenting Aging Parents is going to have a team. You can be involved by donating to the Parenting Aging Parents team. Check in the description, you’ll see the, where there’s a link to do that. But you can get your own team- Yes … whether it’s anywhere around the country, and figure out when to walk there. If you wanna walk with us on November 7th- Yeah … and log in to the, the Austin chapter- Austin, yep … you can do that, or you can figure out when it is for you by contacting your local organization, correct? Raegan Scott: That’s right. That’s right. Yeah, so there’s, and in fact, there’s probably another subtlety here. While you guys are Parenting Aging Parents, if you have a large group of folks, let’s say, in Oklahoma, that are part of Pa- Parenting Aging Parents, they [00:04:00] could do a local Oklahoma chapter or, Oklahoma team underneath you. So you can actually have sub-teams. Yeah. So that would be fabulous to have Parenting Aging Parent walks all across the country, and we would love for you guys to post on your social media- to, promote what we’re doing and promote your participation in the walk around the country and how you’re supporting Parenting Aging Parents, as well as the Alzheimer’s Association. Mike Barnes: The biggest thing to me is it’s such a team effort. Yes. It’s not one person, “I’m gonna go out and run a marathon,” or something like that. It’s all of us going out to walk. Raegan Scott: That’s right. And by the way, a little incentive, if you join as a participant and you support Parenting Aging Parents team or your own team, and you yourself sign up as a participant to walk, and you donate $100, you get a free T-shirt. Mike Barnes: Hey, that’s pretty nice. Now, what’s the timeframe on this? Like, for us, November 7th is when the walk is. Is there a deadline for when you need to sign up, when you need to get, start getting money, when you need to turn everything in, et cetera, et cetera? Raegan Scott: Well, the beauty of the Alzheimer’s [00:05:00] Association is we actually fundraise year-round, so there is never a good time or a bad time. Any time is a good time to join. So we do encourage people earlier participation. Like, I started my fundraising work in January of this year. but we, in fact, after, a week after the walk, I was driving through my neighborhood, stopped to talk to a neighbor that was, on a walk with her husband and their dog, and they said, “Hey, I know you were doing that event with the Alzheimer’s Association. Are you still check- taking money?” I was like, “Yeah, the event was last week, but I’ll take your money anytime.” And it turns out they were a fabulous supporter to us, and they are committing their support again this year. So, that recurring activity, so it’s never too late to get started. Mike Barnes: And you kind of mentioned it earlier, but I w- wanna reiterate the fact that you donate, yes, to a local chapter, but the money all goes up to national- Yes and then comes back down to different chapters. Raegan Scott: That’s right. That’s right. And it helps support all of our, locally, the care and support programs. we [00:06:00] did a Turn Buda Purple last week that was fabulous, and, some of that fundraising effort went to support their local care and support teams as well. Mike Barnes: Yeah. So helping everyone around the country, just by helping Parenting Aging Parents, it helps everyone, which again, makes it such a team effort. Raegan Scott: It is, and we’re all in this together, and it affects every family in a different way, and we just support each other. And just being part of the community of the Alzheimer’s Association has really been a great, support mechanism for my family, knowing that someone else is on this journey, because it’s an ugly journey. And so we relentlessly campaign for, the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s. Mike Barnes: Yeah. We always say we’re all in this together. It’s definitely true with Alzheimer’s and what we’re doing here with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. If there’s any other topic you’d like us to discuss, please let us know, Parenting Aging Parents. *This transcript is auto-generated. Please excuse any typos or mistakes.