Thousands of people are expected to gather Saturday at Carroll Stadium on the Indiana University Indianapolis campus for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, an event organizers say will bring the community together to support families affected by the disease and raise money for research. Registration and the event begin at 8:30 a.m., with an opening ceremony following at 10 a.m.
The Indianapolis gathering is one of 16 Walk to End Alzheimer’s events taking place across the state this year, according to WISH-TV, part of a national series that includes more than 600 events in communities nationwide. Natalie Sutton said the walk exists to bring the community together to support families affected by Alzheimer’s and to fund critical research. The stakes behind that mission are steep in Indiana: an estimated 121,300 residents aged 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease, or roughly 10.9% of the state’s senior population, according to 2020 data cited by Axios Indianapolis.
Behind those numbers stands an even larger, mostly invisible workforce. More than 219,000 unpaid family caregivers across Indiana provide an estimated 325 million hours of care annually to loved ones living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, work valued at nearly $6.9 billion, according to the Alzheimer’s Association Indiana Chapter. That uncompensated labor is part of what walks like Saturday’s are meant to acknowledge, alongside the yellow flowers caregivers carry during the event’s Promise Garden ceremony.
A Symbolic Garden Of Colors
Participants in the nationwide Walk to End Alzheimer’s series take part in the Promise Garden ceremony, carrying different colored flowers that each carry meaning: blue represents living with dementia, yellow honors caregivers, purple remembers lost loved ones, orange denotes general supporters, and white signifies hope for a cure, as Hoodline has reported in coverage of similar walks elsewhere this fall.
The event’s messaging leans heavily on prevention alongside remembrance. The Alzheimer’s Association has launched its Rethink Your Brain campaign, which encourages people to take daily steps to support brain health. Kelsey Cook, founder and CEO of KC & Co., a company focused on helping Hoosiers build healthier lives, said walking, eating fruits and vegetables, playing brain games, reading, and taking photos can all support brain health, per the same WISH-TV report.
Indianapolis's Role In Treatment Breakthroughs
Saturday’s walk unfolds in a city with an outsized stake in Alzheimer’s research. In July 2024, the Food and Drug Administration approved Kisunla, known generically as donanemab, an amyloid-targeting intravenous infusion developed by Indianapolis-headquartered Eli Lilly and Company that slows cognitive decline in early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease. WISH-TV reports that treatments now available to eligible patients are designed to slow the disease’s progression, following years of clinical research supported by increased federal investment. New detection methods are also helping make earlier intervention possible for both Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to the outlet.
Public appetite for that kind of early action appears strong. A 2025 national survey released by the Alzheimer’s Association found that 79% of Americans want an early diagnosis before symptoms disrupt daily life, and more than 90% are willing to take diagnostic tests such as blood-based biomarker tests, according to the Indianapolis Recorder.
State Policy Catches Up To The Need
Indiana lawmakers have moved on the issue too. In March, Governor Mike Braun signed House Enrolled Act 1029 into law, requiring the Indiana Department of Health to collaborate with national Alzheimer’s organizations to educate the public on dementia risk factors, early symptoms, and treatment options, according to the Indiana State Medical Association. Separately, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration launched PathWays for Aging on July 1, 2024, a statewide Medicaid program providing care coordination and in-home attendant care for Hoosiers aged 60 and older, per Brevy.
Even with those steps, the state faces a widening gap in specialized care. Alzheimer’s Association projections indicate Indiana will need a 147% increase in practicing geriatricians by 2050 to meet the needs of its growing senior population, the Indianapolis Recorder reports. Nationally, care costs for Americans living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are projected to reach $409 billion in 2026, with Medicare and Medicaid covering roughly 64% of that spending, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Carroll Stadium itself has hosted community gatherings for decades. The venue opened in 1982 with seating for more than 12,000 spectators and is named after former Eli Lilly executive Michael A. Carroll, according to IU Indy Athletics. People can register for the Indianapolis walk through the Alzheimer’s Association ahead of Saturday’s 8:30 a.m. start.
