A Canton woman is part of the organizing team for a regional walk to benefit families of people with Alzheimer's disease.

The Alzheimer's Association Georgia Chapter's Northwest Metro Memory Walk will take place on Oct. 10 with the help of Stacy Trout of Cherokee County Senior Services.

Ms. Trout, who serves on the walk's steering committee, operates the caregiver support group. Many of the people in the group are taking care of people with the disease.

"They are all really overwhelmed," she said about caregivers for relatives with Alzheimer's, a disorder that destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior. The disorder worsens over time and is fatal.

This year is the first time Ms. Trout has participated in the walk; she plans to be more involved for future walks, she said.

"Since I have gotten involved, I have really enjoyed it," she said. "I want to be able to do more. I am an eager person. Next year, I will have a better idea of what to do."

The walk will benefit the people in her caregivers support group by raising funds for association programs such as Caregiver Time Out, educational programs for professional and family caregivers and around-the-clock counselors.

She noted there is a lack of resources available for caregivers, and the average annual out-of-pocket cost to care for someone with Alzheimer's is $174,000.

There are more than 1,800 people in Cherokee County with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

"We encounter Alzheimer's disease pretty often," she said about her work at the county's senior center.

Rhita Pfleger, director of development for the association's Atlanta region, said 80 percent of the money raised through the walk stays in the community where it is raised. The northwest metro area includes Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties.

This year's walk Memory Walk will be in Marietta. It begins at 10 a.m. at West Side Elementary School at 344 Polk St. and goes through residential areas and the Marietta Square.

"We needed higher visibility. We needed to make it more of a family affair," she said of the walk. In the past, the event has been conducted in Acworth and Kennesaw State University.

Ms. Trout said the association is looking for corporate sponsors for the event as well as walkers.

For information about the event or to register, call (770) 974-0549 or see the Web site at www.georgiamemorywalk.org.