In May 2008, the Task Force on the Effect of Alzheimer’s Disease was established pursuant to Senate Bill 2186. Tasked with examining the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and forming a plan of action within the state, the Task Force included representatives from the private sector, community organizations, and state agencies as well as caregivers, state legislators, and individuals living with Alzheimer's. In September 2009, the Final Report of the Task Force on the Effect of Alzheimer’s Disease in Oklahoma was published. In 2015, Governor Mary Fallin issued Executive Order 2015-32 to authorize an update to the state plan. The Oklahoma Alzheimer’s State Plan 2016 was published in February 2016. In 2023, the Oklahoma State Health Department, in partnership with a coalition of stakeholders, published an update to the state Alzheimer’s plan for 2023-2027. The updated state plan details four goal areas for advancing brain health across the state.

Improve Consumer Protections for Long-Term Care Residents 

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 Oklahoma offer memory care units for residents living with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to amend current statutory language to allow for the filing of complaints, which would trigger investigations into the care provided at facilities that claim to provide memory care services. Amending this law will ensure that Oklahoma residents in long-term care facilities are not paying more each month for specialized care and services they may not be receiving.