Arizona State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
The Arizona Alzheimer’s Task Force was established in 2011 as a collaboration of the Governor's Office on Aging, the Arizona Department of Economic Security Division of Aging and Adult Services, the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, and the Alzheimer's Association Desert Southwest Chapter. The goal was to bring together a wide range of public and private stakeholders to develop a plan to address the growing number of Arizonans with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2015, the Task Force published the Arizona Alzheimer’s State Plan: A Framework for Action, which was developed through the cooperation of more than 100 community members.
Arizona 2024 Policy Priorities
Improve the Quality of Care for People Living With Alzheimer's and Other Dementia in Assisted Living Facilities
Individuals living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia make up a significant portion of those using long-term care services. They also have unique needs that often make care delivery and communication more challenging. Some assisted living facilities in Arizona offer memory care units for residents living with dementia; however, many of these units have no additional regulations that qualify them to deliver specialized care to these residents. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging state lawmakers to support legislation creating a memory care certificate for assisted living facilities. The certificate should include minimum standards to improve quality of care such as dementia training for staff, person-centered care planning, acuity staffing and consumer disclosures.
Protect Arizona’s Ongoing Investment in Dementia Research
While many strides have been made to improve our understanding of dementia, significant work remains. State universities, hospitals and research centers are making new discoveries that enhance our understanding of Alzheimer’s, and lawmakers in Arizona need to continue supporting this work. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state policymakers to continue their $4.1 million investment of state funding for dementia research in Arizona.
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151,500
people living with Alzheimer’s in Arizona
292,000
Arizonans are providing unpaid care
$414 Million
Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)
163.5%
increase in Alzheimer’s deaths 2000-2021
18%
in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
294.6%
increase of geriatricians in Arizona needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in Arizona
The following resources developed by AIM and the Alzheimer’s Association will help you learn more about the issues impacting people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, how Arizona policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.