Daniela Fowler, a community outreach specialist with the Alzheimer’s Association (Northern California & Northern Nevada), briefed the Sunnyvale Human Relations Commission on the scale of Alzheimer’s disease and the services the association provides.

Fowler said “over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s” and stressed the disease’s ripple effects: nearly 12 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia. She described common risk factors and the 10 warning signs clinicians and caregivers should watch for, and urged early detection and lifestyle changes that may reduce risk.

The association offers a 24/7 helpline, multilingual programs and local supports, Fowler said; she gave the chapter’s main office in San Jose (2290 North 1st Street, Suite 212) as a local contact and encouraged residents to use the association’s website to find services by ZIP code. “We also have a 24/7 helpline,” she said, adding that the chapter runs support groups, grief groups and volunteer training.

Commissioners and residents asked how to access services and whether testing and volunteer training are available. Fowler said the chapter provides free information, trains volunteers to do community outreach and helps people identify respite and county‑level caregiver supports. She also invited healthy volunteers to join clinical trial registries so researchers have comparison populations.

The presentation concluded with an appeal for community fundraising and awareness events, including the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and an offer to provide webinars and materials in multiple languages.

The commission thanked Fowler for the briefing and several commissioners said they would follow up with the helpline and local staff to connect residents to services.