Thousands of Alzheimer's patients, caregivers and advocates are expected to gather in Central Park Saturday for CaringKind's Annual Alzheimer's Walk and Brain Health Day, an event that organizers say has seen registration more than double from a year earlier. Organizers expect at least 2,500 participants, and for the first time, the event will offer free brain health screenings onsite.
Much of that surge in interest traces back to WABC Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter, who publicly discussed his own Alzheimer's diagnosis earlier this year. CaringKind officials say Ritter's disclosure helped drive increased interest in the event, according to WABC-TV. Ritter announced on air in June that he was stepping away from his longtime role after 28 years with the station following his diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer's disease at age 76, as reported by AlzNJ.org. He had co-anchored WABC's evening newscasts for over two decades and previously lost his father to Alzheimer's in 1998, the outlet notes.
Ritter's advocacy continued right up through Walk Day. CaringKind and WABC-TV expanded outreach for the event with a billboard campaign on Dream Outdoor's TSX screen in Times Square and a 30-minute WABC news special titled Living with Alzheimer's, which Ritter hosted on Thursday, per a PR Newswire release. The special covered the latest Alzheimer's research and families helping loved ones.
Shifting From Awareness to Early Detection
The nationwide scale of the disease underscores why organizers are pushing beyond simple fundraising. An estimated 7 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, according to WABC-TV's report on the walk. CaringKind's chief programming and chief innovation officer, Stephanie Shivers, said organizers are trying to change the narrative about brain health, framing the annual event as a way to encourage people to treat cognitive health as part of preventive care.
That shift is visible in the pre-screening program CaringKind is launching at this year's walk. Shivers noted that many people routinely monitor their blood pressure and cholesterol but do not regularly assess their cognitive health. The screenings are not designed to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, but rather to give participants a baseline assessment they can bring to their own physicians, Shivers said, adding that the goal is to optimize brain health, encourage early pre-screening and normalize conversations with doctors about cognitive status.
Why does catching it early matter so much? Shivers said an early Alzheimer's diagnosis can open access to medications that slow the disease's progression. Disease-modifying therapies such as Leqembi (lecanemab) and Kisunla (donanemab) target amyloid and are approved for mild cognitive impairment and early-stage Alzheimer's disease, according to AlzNJ.org. New York has also moved to widen access to the testing that makes such early diagnoses possible: state legislation now requires health insurance policies and Medicaid to cover biomarker precision testing, expanding access to specialized blood tests and brain scans, per the Alzheimer's Association New York State Coalition.
A Local Crisis With Uneven Reach
The stakes are especially high in New York, which has the second-highest Alzheimer's prevalence rate among U.S. states. About 427,000 New Yorkers aged 65 and older live with the disease, according to the New York State Office for the Aging. Within New York City, Alzheimer's prevalence varies sharply by borough, with the Bronx recording a 16.6% prevalence among residents 65 and older—tied for the highest rate nationally—followed by Brooklyn at 15% and Manhattan at 14%.
The toll extends well beyond diagnosis numbers. Family caregivers across the state provided 879 million hours of unpaid care valued at $18.9 billion in 2024, according to the state agency. Medicaid costs for Alzheimer's and other dementia in New York totaled $6.8 billion in 2025. CaringKind offers free support groups and educational programs.
Familiar Faces Lead Saturday's Walk
Actor David Hyde Pierce will feature at the walk. Eyewitness News anchor Mike Marza will serve as emcee for the event, WABC-TV reports. CaringKind also co-honored President Emeritus Jed Levine, recognizing service dating back to 1990, when he helped build the early-stage support groups that grew into the organization's Weinberg Early-Stage Center, according to Sandy Journal.
Registration for Saturday's walk begins at 9:30 a.m. in Central Park. Organizers describe the gathering as designed to raise Alzheimer's awareness and remind patients and caregivers that they are not alone, with event details available at ckwalk.org.
