End Alz: UofL provides funding for Alzheimer's awareness license plate effort

Thanks to a donation from the Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging at the University of Louisville, the $25 application fee for an “End Alz” license plate will be waived for the remaining applications needed to reach the required 900 for issuance of plates. This limited opportunity is available on a first-come, first-serve basis to constituents throughout Kentucky.

“The Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging is honored to be able to support the Alzheimer’s Association and all Kentuckians who have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease. We believe that this license is a powerful symbol of our enduring love for those affected by Alzheimer’s, our unwavering support for their family members, and our commitment to working with our communities and the Alzheimer’s Association to end Alzheimer’s,” said Anna Faul, executive director of the institute.  

The Alzheimer’s Kentucky specialty license plate features a forget-me-not flower on a purple background with the words: “Honor. Remember. Care. End Alzheimer’s.” 

“The Alzheimer’s Association is grateful to the Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging for understanding the value of helping to finalize this stage of the initiative. Getting the End Alz plate on the roads of Kentucky has been a labor of love for the association.  This awareness will shine an even brighter light on the impact of this disease for affected individuals and families as well as the vital need to find effective prevention, treatment and a cure,” said Bari Lewis, director of community outreach for the association.

Alzheimer’s affects 70,000 Kentuckians and more than 5 million people nationwide. There are more than 270,000 Alzheimer’s family caregivers in Kentucky. Every 67 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer’s and the number of people with Alzheimer’s is projected to triple by 2050.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, the fifth for people older than 65. Research has not yet found a way to stop or reverse this disease. As many as half of people with the related disease of dementia have never received a diagnosis, yet they could benefit from a variety of available medical and support services.

Alzheimer's is a disease that touches virtually everyone – including Faul. Her own father, the Rev. Japie Vermeulen of Ceres, South Africa, recently died after a 16-year battle with the disease.

“My education and training as a social worker specializing in older adults gave me knowledge about the hardship families endure when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s,” Faul said. “It was caring for my own father, however, that showed me the emotional burden this dreaded disease takes on both caregivers and the patients themselves.”

In order to receive a plate, constituents should fill out the application form located online and return it to Alzheimer’s Association, 6100 Dutchman’s Lane, Suite 401, Louisville, KY 40205 or send an email. Applicants will be notified by their local county clerk when plates are ready to be picked up. Plates will be available approximately three months after the 900 commitments are secured.