POUND: an energized approach to combat a draining disease
The staff at Colorado’s POUND Fitness studios have seen the tragedy that comes with Alzheimer’s disease. They’re not going to take it sitting down – at least not while the music is booming and their enthusiastic class participants are delivering an estimated 15,000 drumstick hits per hour to the floor.
POUND instructor Carol Hawn and POUND Icon (regional lead) Caitlin Ross are intent on showing there’s more than one way to deal with Alzheimer’s, the 7th-leading cause of death. Both have been touched by the disease, and both are determined to make a difference in the fight to find a cure. That’s why they’ll be leading a POUND class at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 24, at Denver’s Mercury Café, 2199 California St.
Hawn watched her father slowly decline with Alzheimer’s before he passed away in 2019, and saw her mother carry the
heavy burden of caregiving.
“It was devastating,” Hawn said. “I could see the toll it took on my father’s health as he declined over the years. And it was hard watching my mother as her stress levels rose. Seeing our loved ones suffer is incredibly hard.”
Ross was only 5 when her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, so she didn’t get the opportunity to truly know the man everyone described as “the best human in the world.”
“My only memories of him are as a shell of what he once was,” she said. “I remember watching my grandmother care for him in his last years of life, and the struggle it was to take care of him.”
Hawn and Ross will be joined by their team of seven additional local POUND pros and their POUND clients (regulars are known as the “posse”) for a high-intensity workout. This event is also open to the public and are welcome to join in on the RockOut workout. After they dent their workout mats and make some serious noise with their quarter-pound Ripstix – double the weight of the typical drumstick – they hope to make a dent in Alzheimer’s, the only leading disease without a prevention or cure.
Participants in the class will donate $10 minimum to reserve a spot for the POUND class. The POUND team has a goal of $5,280 for the event, which is part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s The Longest Day fundraising event.
“The Longest Day is the day with the most light, the summer solstice,” said Stephanie Foster, Development manager for the Alzheimer’s Association of Colorado. “On and around June 21, people across the country, including our friends at POUND, will fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s through a fundraising activity of their choice. And it’s hard to find anyone more dedicated to this cause than those at POUND. And no one is louder than POUND!”
For two years running, the Colorado POUND team led the global company’s fundraising and was a top 10 fundraising team across Colorado. This year they’re looking to exceed those totals. After the class on the 24th, they’ll be holding a cash raffle of donated prizes and gifts to further their fundraising and will continue the celebration with a cash bar.
Click
here to join the POUND team or donate to their Longest Day team.
There are 6.7 million people across the United States living with Alzheimer’s disease, including 76,000 Coloradans. It is estimated that the cost of caring for those people in the U.S. with Alzheimer’s will top $345 billion in 2023.
To learn more about the programs and services offered at no charge by the Alzheimer’s Association, go to
alz.org or call the Association’s free 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia.™ For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.