Rhode Island State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview 

Advisor Talking About Planning To Couple At Home
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In April 2012, the Rhode Island General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 2858, directing the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council to lead a workgroup on the development of a state plan. The workgroup was co-chaired by the chair of the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council, the lieutenant governor or designee and the director of the division of elderly affairs. After collecting public feedback, the workgroup published the Rhode Island’s State Plan on Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Disorders in September 2013. In February 2019, the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council published the 2019 Update, Rhode Island State Plan on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related DisordersLed by the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Rhode Island launched a revision process of the 2019 State Plan. The Council held community forums and an ADRD Stakeholder Summit to help inform the updated state plan for 2024-2029, which was published in February 2024. The updated state plan is in alignment with the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) Road Map and includes goals, objectives and strategies to improve the state’s response to Alzheimer’s and other dementia.

Rhode Island 2025 Policy Priorities

Senior Women
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Establish a Dementia Services Coordinator Position 

With the number of Rhode Islanders who are living with Alzheimer’s already exceeding 22,000, coordination between state agencies that administer programs for the growing population living with dementia is crucial. Rhode Island has taken steps towards this including the publication of the 2024-2029 Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders State Plan. But a lack of coordination is hindering the ability of Rhode Island to establish a strong dementia-specific infrastructure. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on the state legislature to establish a Dementia Services Coordinator position within the Department of Health. This state agency position will support the work of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Disease Research and Treatment, oversee implementation of the state Alzheimer’s plan, and serve as a liaison between state agencies, the governor, the legislature, and external stakeholders.

Young People Group Discussion
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Inclusion of Alzheimer’s Disease in Public Awareness Campaigns 

As Rhode Island ages and the number of people living with dementia increases, it is critical that residents across the state understand the importance of brain health, risk reduction strategies and early detection and diagnosis to improve their health and care. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to enact legislation that incorporates Alzheimer’s and dementia into existing public health outreach programs. This public awareness initiative will educate health care providers and Rhode Islanders on brain health, risk reduction, and the importance of obtaining a timely and accurate diagnosis.

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Together, we’re making an impact. Find an Alzheimer’s Association chapter in your community for more ways to engage.

Contact Us

State Affairs Contact: Meredith Sheehan

Phone: 401.859.2251

Email: [email protected]

22,000

people living with Alzheimer’s in Rhode Island

36,000

Rhode Islanders are providing unpaid care

$470 Million

Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)

445

deaths from Alzheimer’s in 2021

25%

in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia

48.5%

increase of geriatricians in Rhode Island needed to meet the demand in 2050