By Angelina Gamba
Kara Biery works in the small island community of Islamorada in the Florida Keys, a community with a population of only 7,059 as of 2022. As the admissions and marketing director at the Oasis at the Keys Nursing and Rehab, she sees families facing dementia daily. Unfortunately, many living in the community struggle to find help.
“Because we are on a small island, there’s not a lot of resources down here for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s,” Biery said
After she started working at the nursing home, Biery felt she needed to take action.
“I contacted the Alzheimer’s Association to see if we could do something in the community to raise awareness and add to the resources,” Biery said.
Nearly 11% of residents age 65 and up in Monroe County are estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s. Biery herself has been impacted by the disease; a family member who was diagnosed several years ago.
After contacting the Alzheimer’s Association Southeast Florida Chapter, Biery worked with staff to start Walk to End Alzheimer’s Florida Keys. She served as the event chair for the inaugural event.
“It was the first walk, and we didn’t know how successful it was going to be. When I was standing on stage talking, and I looked out into the audience, I saw so many people had come together regarding this issue. It melted my heart,” said Biery. “There were people there that came just because they’re community members and wanted to support the cause, people that had lost family members to Alzheimer’s, and individuals from the nursing home that came and supported the cause for their residents. So, it was a wonderful experience.”
The 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s raised more than $30,000 for care, support and research initiatives.
“This year we plan to be even bigger and better,” Biery said.
The 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s Florida Keys will be on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Founders Park. This year, Biery plans to incorporate all of Monroe County and increase the fundraising goal to $50,000.
“The fundraising component is important, but we also want to have participants come to the walk and understand that this is an issue. Monroe County is right next to Dade, which has the highest incidence right now of Alzheimer’s and dementia, so it affects us as well.”
Biery also encourages those who may be on the fence about volunteering to get involved.
“I think that it is absolutely worthwhile,” Biery said. “Whether you put in an hour a week or 20 hours a week, there’s many opportunities to volunteer. It is extremely rewarding and beneficial, not only to the people in the community, but to the volunteers that are committing their time as well.”
Learn more about getting involved with the 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s Florida Keys in a virtual happy hour on May 2 at 5 p.m. ET. To RSVP, email Alex Lewy at alewy@alz.org.
To learn more about becoming a volunteer, attend an information session held on the first Thursday of each month. Register at AlzFla.org/VolunteerWebinar.
For more guidance and resources, call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900 or go to alz.org.
