Residents and team members at The Buckingham, Houston’s premier retirement community, recently partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to observe the Longest Day in support of those living with Alzheimer’s. Held annually on the summer solstice, the Longest Day takes on a special meaning for the millions of Americans and their families affected by the disease. The sunrise-to-sunset event symbolizes the challenging journey of those living with the disease and their caregivers. The Buckingham has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association and hosted a number of events and activities throughout the day for residents and team members to come together to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease on Wednesday, June 21 at the senior living community (8580 Woodway Drive). According to the Alzheimer’s Association, over 5 million Americans are currently living with the disease, including approximately 360,000 Texans.

“Many of our residents and team members in our community know someone or have a loved who is living with Alzheimer’s,” said Cathy Lightfoot, director of marketing at The Buckingham. “We know firsthand the challenges that those living with Alzheimer’s face, and we strive each day to provide fulfilling experiences each and every day for our residents living in memory support. By participating in events like the Longest Day, we are able to encourage continued support for Alzheimer’s research.”

To kick off the day’s events, the community hosted its annual Mahjong tournament. During the tournament, 32 residents faced off in a friendly competition of Hong-Kong style mahjong, with the highest scoring participant crowned the winner. The tournament was chosen to start this year’s Longest Day festivities to celebrate life and the opportunity to do something loved by many in the community. Residents were encouraged to participate in their regularly scheduled health and wellness classes and activities, as well as sign up for a 15-minute time slot on the community’s NuStep recumbent cross trainer machine. Residents and team members traded off so that someone is on the NuStep machine all day long as part of the NuStep relay challenge. Across from the NuStep machine was also the community’s bake sale, where all proceeds went to the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s in the fall. The day concluded with a celebration happy hour for all participants.

The Longest Day is an extension of The Buckingham’s Masterpiece Living® philosophy, which serves as the retirement community’s foundation. The philosophy embraces a wellness-minded attitude which encourages learning in an individual’s key development areas – physical, mental, social and spiritual.