WEST Coast Eagles legend and Applecross resident Glen Jakovich will walk laps in memory of his mother when he raises awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.
Jakovich, whose mother died as a result of dementia in February, will take part in the Alzheimer’s Australia Memory walk at Edinburgh Oval at Curtin University this Sunday and encouraged the community to join him.
The walk will seek to highlight the dementia epidemic that the community faces.
Alzheimer’s Australia WA chief executive Frank Schaper said dementia was now the third leading cause of death in Australia and the largest cause of disability in people aged over 65.
Jakovich said seeing his mother gradually succumb to dementia in the last two years was a heart-breaking experience and one of the toughest periods of his life.
“Mum was a fit and strong person, lived a healthy lifestyle, followed a healthy diet, loved to cook healthy meals and it broke my heart to see her go downhill,” he said.
The walk will be at the oval on Sunday from 9.30am to 4pm.
Visit www.memorywalkwa.com.au for more information.