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To increase awareness about Alzheimer’s and its dreaded effect on families and loved ones, Franklin County Mayor Chris Guess proclaimed Nov. 3 as Purple Out Tennessee Day to encourage area residents to support a cause to eradicate the disease.

Guess read a proclamation at the Franklin County Annex Building highlighting the county’s role, led by Court Clerk Robert Baggett’s office. He then presented Fran Gray, Alzheimer’s Tennessee South Central Tennessee regional coordinator, with a copy of the proclamation to let residents know that assistance is available to help in dealing with the disease.

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens and is the cause of 60 to 70 percent of dementia cases, according to medical experts who specialize in battling the disease.

The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events, and as the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation (including easily getting lost), mood swings, loss of motivation, self-neglect and behavioral issues.

As a person’s condition declines, they often withdraw from family and society, and gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Although the speed of progression can vary, the typical life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years.

Gray said that through a unified effort to increase awareness and combat the disease, a goal has been established to make Alzheimer’s a thing of the past.

“Our goal is to make Alzheimer’s a memory,” she said, summing up Alzheimer’s Tennessee’s motto.

The “Purple Out” movement calls for wearing special T-shirts and taking other action to display purple items to draw attention to the cause.

The resolution says that Alzheimer’s is a devastating brain disease that impairs memory, reasoning, motor skills and the ability to take care of oneself. The impact of Alzheimer’s on individuals, families and the healthcare system makes the disease one of the nation’s primary medical, social and fiscal challenges, it adds.

It says that more than 120,000 Tennesseans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, and one in seven American workers are also family caregivers for someone with dementia.

The proclamation says that, according to the National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer’s is ranked as the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, but recent estimates indicate that the disorder may rank third.

Alzheimer’s Tennessee is a statewide, independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Tennessee since 1983 that provides support services to residents, promotes brain health through education and champions global research for better prevention and treatment strategies, according to the proclamation.

It says that the State Court Clerks Association of Tennessee voted to adopt and support Alzheimer’s Tennessee to help fulfill the organization’s vision to “make Alzheimer’s a memory.”

The proclamation says Baggett, along with court clerks and communities across the state, is participating in Purple Out Tennessee to support Alzheimer’s Tennessee and raise awareness about the state’s Silver Alert Law during November, first declared National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month by President Ronald Reagan.

Alzheimer’s Tennessee had worked diligently in recent years with the General Assembly to establish a statewide Silver Alert where authorities are notified to quickly search for lost elderly individuals with Alzheimer’s and others with similar medical conditions that put them in that type of risk.

The legislation was approved unanimously by the House and Senate and establishes a statewide protocol with local law enforcement agencies to help find missing citizens who have wandered due to dementia, physical impairment or disability.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation now provides education, implementation, tracking, and a uniform protocol across the state which officials say should significantly strengthen the Silver Alert system and provide clear instructions for local, inter-agency and media coordination on how to respond to calls of vulnerable, missing adults who may be disoriented and incapable of finding their own way home.

A Silver Alert is activated when an elderly, developmentally-impaired or cognitively-impaired person has gone missing and is determined to be at-risk. Silver Alerts provide immediate information to the public to aid in their swift recovery.

Guess concluded the proclamation reading by saying:

“Now, therefore, I, Mayor Chris Guess, proclaim Nov. 3, 2023, as Purple Out Tennessee and commend its observance to all citizens and urge all city and county employees and citizens and everyone across the state of Tennessee to join in this effort to bring Tennesseans home with Silver Alert awareness and raise funds to support the work of Alzheimer’s Tennessee. Together, we will make Alzheimer’s a memory.”