It can be hard for people who are dealing with younger-onset dementia to find programs or services that are not designed for seniors. According to the Alzheimer's Association, recent data shows that more than more than 126,000 Washingtonians have Alzheimer's disease. The vast majority are seniors. Even though it is uncommon, individuals can be diagnosed with conditions that cause dementia before they are 65.
Seattle’s Shared Outdoor Adventures for Resilience program, or SOAR, aims to help younger people living with memory loss get out into nature and build community. The Memory Hub, UW Medicine’s community center for individuals with dementia, runs the program and offers monthly guided hikes.
Marigrace Becker, the Memory Hub’s director, explained that as individuals begin to have a hard time remembering or exhibit other symptoms, they can be faced with hurdles.
“Social isolation, I would say, is one of the greatest challenges for persons living with dementia and for their family members or caregivers,” she said.
The advocacy group Lorenzo’s House, which focuses on people with younger-onset dementia, said there are a number of conditions that can cause individuals to develop dementia early, including Alzheimer's disease, Frontotemporal Degeneration and Lewy Body Dementia. The nonprofit estimates there are around 600,000 people in the U.S. living with younger-onset dementia.
Becker said it can be hard for these people to find programs where they feel like they fit in.
“You hear from younger folks, 'I’m not finding my peers, I feel very alone in what I’m going through,'" she said.
This spurred Becker to help develop SOAR, which launched in 2023, to give able-bodied people in their 40s, 50s and early 60s more active experiences where they can connect with others who are dealing with similar issues, such as working or having kids who still live at home. According to a UW Medicine news release, it was the “only outdoor adventure program in the nation designed for people with younger onset Alzheimer’s.” Becker said in the years since, she hasn’t come across another program like it.
KNKX’s Mitch Borden recently joined SOAR for a hike at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park in Shoreline.
Hear more about that experience by clicking “Listen” at the top of the page.
