Campaign aims to enlist 2K participants in Alzheimer’s research effort by 2020

PROVIDENCE – Butler Hospital is working toward a big goal – it is hoping to enlist 2,020 Rhode Islanders in its Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry by the start of the new year.

The #2020by2020RI campaign was launched by Butler’s Memory and Aging Program in advance of November, which is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

The prevention registry matches willing participants with studies or trials that they may qualify for but does not require members to participate.

Anyone age 40-85 who has normal memory or mild memory loss is eligible to join, either online at butler.org/ALZregistry or by calling 401-455-6402.

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“Finding a breakthrough treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is critical to the health of our population. Its success is dependent on building a large citizen army of willing participants to fight Alzheimer’s through clinical research,” said Dr. Stephen Salloway, director of the Memory and Aging Program, and a widely recognized expert in Alzheimer’s disease research.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 23,000 Rhode Island residents are living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, and another 53,000 are their caregivers.

Experts estimate that the number of people in Rhode Island diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia will increase by about 17% by 2025.