While we often partner with local organizations, Racing to End Alzheimer’s primarily supports two important institutions doing critical work in the field. One focuses on providing the very best patient care, one on finding a cure for this complex disease.
In the United States, an estimated 5.7 million people are affected by Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia. Worldwide, that number soars to over 55 million people.
Funding the care
With eight locations throughout Los Angeles County, UCLA’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program provides comprehensive support for people living with dementia and the caregivers who love them. Since 2012, the program has provided over 4,300 families with individualized care plans, education, resources, and compassionate guidance. They focus on maximizing patient function, independence, and dignity while also minimizing caregiver strain and burnout.
The goal of the program is to optimize medical treatment plans to slow further decline in cognition, manage symptoms, and reduce complications. A Dementia Care Specialist works with each patient and caregiver throughout the year-long program, increasing caregiver confidence and reducing patient behavioral issues, with a reported 72% success rate.
UCLA’s program has become a national model, changing the way many hospitals and medical centers promote patient care across the U.S. They host a multitude of online meetings and webinars designed to support other care programs and caregivers, offering real-world solutions in a collaborative setting.
According to the 2025 Alzheimer’s Association annual report, 11.9 million family members and other unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia provided an estimated 19.2 billion hours of unpaid care last year alone.
Finding the cure.
The Nantz National Alzheimer’s Center at Houston Methodist Hospital is exploring cutting edge strategies in therapy, care and research to find a cure. NNAC was founded by longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz and his family in honor of his father, Jim, Jr., who passed away after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s.
Since its inception in 2011, the Nantz Center’s approach has been two-fold: the Center works with thousands of patients each year to slow memory loss progression and improve patients’ quality of life. And it conducts groundbreaking research to delay the progression of the disease or stop its course.
The Center’s interdisciplinary approach to comprehensive and compassionate patient care has resulted in dramatic improvements in quality of life for many patients before, during, and after diagnosis. This approach has also led to the Center’s contribution to significant scientific advances in treatment, with multiple clinical studies currently being conducted to evaluate new approaches and medications designed to deter progression of the disease.
Since its inception in 2011, the Nantz Center has become a world-renowned research facility. It was the first research center to link excess tau protein to Alzheimer’s disease brain dysfunction and to map tau progression in dementia, redefining how neurologists approach the illness. It was also the first to identify how brain inflammation precedes brain degeneration.
We know it can feel like an uphill battle. And it’s definitely a tough one.
But your contributions make a big difference — by now, well over $1 million. The work can’t move forward without the support of those of us who care.
And adding the ability to recognize and honor someone you love makes an even bigger difference — to you and your family.
We hope you’ll join us for this coming racing season. When we’re all in this race, we all win.
