Convinced of the benefits of adapted physical activities, the France Alzheimer and Related Diseases association is making it the central theme of the next World Alzheimer’s Day, this September 21. The highlight: the second edition of the Memorun race, in the presence of Marie-José Pérec and other champions.
Following a great Olympic summer, the France Alzheimer and Related Diseases association will highlight adapted physical activities and their benefits on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day, by organizing the second edition of its Memorun charity race. It will be held on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September at the Bois de Vincennes in Paris.
Four courses (three races and one walk) are offered to participants. Renowned athletes will be present. Among them: the triple Olympic champion Marie-José Pérec, patron of the association and the race, as well as many other athletesincluding recent Olympic medalists.
On the Memorun village site, visitors will also be able to play ping-pong or tennis. Above all, they will be able to better understand the benefits of adapted physical activities by talking with people involved in health sports initiatives. These benefits are numerousboth for sick people and for their caregivers. They are physical, in terms of motor skills, muscle building or balance, but also psychological, in terms of self-esteem in particular. “These activities also help to foster social ties, break down barriers and leave illness in the locker room for a moment,” says Joël Jaouen, president of the association.
Adapted physical activities are also developing rapidly in the France Alzheimer and related diseases network. The departmental associations offer activities such as ping-pong, tennis, dance, hiking, swimming, horse riding, tai chi and gentle gym. In recent years, partnerships have been signed with the French Table Tennis Federation (FFTT), the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and the French Equestrian Federation (FFE).
The association’s Parisian weekend will end on Sunday afternoon with the France Alzheimer Prize at the Vincennes racecourseThe funds raised during this event should help support the development of equine mediation.
Elsewhere in the network, many departmental associations will also be offering sporting and festive events on and around September 21.
With a network of 101 departmental associations, the Union France Alzheimer et maladies apparentées supports sick people and their caregivers on a daily basis. Faced with the absence of curative treatment for a disease that affects 1.2 million people in France, it offers a range of actions for families. It also trains health professionals, raises awareness among the public and the public authorities, and funds research. Each year, an envelope of 1.5 million euros is devoted to research projects and the support of young researchers.
