SAVANNAH — March 9 is a special and eventful day for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Individuals from across the Coastal Georgia area will be among the hundreds of Alzheimer’s advocates, family members, and people living with Alzheimer’s from all over Georgia heading to the state Capitol for Alzheimer’s Awareness Day on Monday.

Advocates will meet with legislators to discuss issues important to the 199,457 Georgia families dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is our first organized trip to the Capitol from the Coastal Georgia region. We are very excited to make our voices heard and speak to the legislators in our districts”, said Jenny House, Programs Director, Alzheimer’s Association, Coastal Georgia Office. “We hope to build momentum and bring more and more people with us each year. One in three of us know someone with this disease, we are about to be crushed by increasing incidents of people with this disease and we cannot afford to be silent.”

Alzheimer’s Day at the Capitol will include advocates making personal visits with legislators, a lunch for advocates and legislators and a press conference between the morning and afternoon legislative sessions.

“This is a day for people all over Georgia who have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease to raise their voices and be heard,” said Leslie Anderson, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter. “There are nearly 200,000 of these families in Georgia and it is the responsibility of the Georgia Chapter to represent them. By raising our voice and working with legislators, we can be a catalyst for change, which will affect the lives of everyone dealing with the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter has been helping families statewide since 1995. During that time, they have been a key part of enacting policy change, including Georgia’s Mattie’s Call legislation, which established a statewide protocol to help locate Georgia’s missing confused elderly persons quickly and return them safely to their families.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter’s mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research and promotion of brain health, and to enhance the care and support for all individuals, their families and caregivers.

The Georgia Chapter has seven regional offices which serve all of Georgia’s 159 counties. For news and information, visit the Georgia Chapter Web site at www.alz.org/georgia.