Rhode Island State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
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 Disorders. Led 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
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.
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.
Rhode Island State Advocacy Day
Join advocates on Thursday, March 20, 2025 for State Advocacy Day in Rhode Island! This annual event will provide opportunities for advocates to share their stories, meet with state lawmakers and urge them to support our critical dementia-specific policy priorities.
Sign Up to Learn About Advocacy Opportunities in Rhode Island
Find My Chapter
Together, we’re making an impact. Find an Alzheimer’s Association chapter in your community for more ways to engage.
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
Resources to Drive Change in Rhode Island
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 Rhode Island policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.