Maine State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
In June 2011, Maine’s legislature commissioned a state task force with the enactment of LD 859, calling for a study of the impact of Alzheimer's disease and the creation of a guide to help the state meet the needs of individuals and families impacted by this disease. The task force included representatives from elder law, community organizations, state agencies, academia, and law enforcement as well as caregivers, individuals living with the disease, state legislators, and health care providers. After soliciting public feedback, the task force published the State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Maine in June 2012. Years later, using the 2018-2023 Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map as a guide, the state assembled a diverse stakeholder group to lead a series of subcommittees that were each tasked with developing a set of recommendations for the next state plan. In October 2023, the next iteration of the state Alzheimer’s plan was released: 2022-2027 Maine State Plan—Maine Reaching for the Summit: Addressing Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.
Maine 2023 Policy Priorities
Prioritize Alzheimer’s Across State Government
Over 29,000 Mainers are living with Alzheimer’s and another 46,000 are serving as family caregivers. Yet as these numbers continue to rise, Maine lacks a comprehensive approach to address Alzheimer’s. State agency leaders and external stakeholders are in the process of finalizing an update to the Alzheimer’s State Plan yet there is no guarantee the plan will be fully implemented. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to fund a permanent dementia coordinator position and to approve legislation that codifies a Dementia Advisory Council and ensures regular updates to the Alzheimer’s State Plan.
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29,000
people living with Alzheimer’s in Maine
51,000
Mainers are providing unpaid care
$212 Million
Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)
544
deaths from Alzheimer’s in 2019
19%
in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
97.2%
increase of geriatricians in Maine needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in Maine
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 Maine policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.