Connecticut State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
In 2013, Connecticut’s legislature passed Special Act 13-11, creating the state’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. The Task Force met to develop and publish a list of recommendations in December 2013 in the Report of the Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. The initial state plan focused on short-term goals to be completed over the course of three to five years. In January 2020, the Task Force published an update to the state plan, focusing on progress made, updating recommendations and expanding the role for the Connecticut Department of Public Health. In 2023, the state plan was updated after engaging with stakeholders and community partners. The state plan was informed by the twenty-five actions of 2018-2023 Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map and includes six goals to help address Alzheimer’s and dementia across the state.
Connecticut 2024 Policy Priorities
Improve Access to Biomarker Testing
With the historic Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of treatments that slow the progression of Alzheimer’s in the early stages, early detection and diagnosis is even more critical to ensure individuals receive the most benefit at the earliest point possible. Biomarkers offer one of the most promising paths to improve dementia detection, diagnosis and treatment. Yet these critical tests remain out of reach for many as insurance coverage is failing to keep pace with innovations and advancements in treatments. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging state lawmakers to expand insurance coverage of comprehensive biomarker testing. Without this legislation, dementia diagnoses may take up to two years, increasing the long-term costs to the individual, family and the state.
Establish an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Advisory Council
Connecticut is home to over 76,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s and 128,000 unpaid caregivers. Coordination and collaboration among state agencies and external stakeholders is critical to effectively address the growing prevalence and impact of this disease. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to establish an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Advisory Council that will be responsible for monitoring and updating the Alzheimer’s State Plan and ensuring the plan continues to reflect the needs of the state.
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76,800
people living with Alzheimer’s in Connecticut
128,000
Connecticuters are providing unpaid care
$1 Billion
Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)
1049
deaths from Alzheimer’s in 2021
15%
in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
82.4%
increase of geriatricians in Connecticut needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in Connecticut
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 Connecticut policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.