Vermont State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
In 1991, Vermont’s legislature enacted legislation that established the Governor’s Commission on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. The Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), in its efforts to design and develop the State Plan on Dementia, convened a subcommittee of the Governor’s Commission on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders and other aging network providers. This subcommittee was charged with providing guidance for the development of a plan to help state policymakers and stakeholders better understand how the estimated increase in people living with dementia will need to be met with a corresponding increase in resources; including caregivers, specialized care units, respite services and education. During 2007 and 2008, a State Plan on Dementia was developed. Soliciting feedback from community members, direct service providers, and families impacted by Alzheimer’s, the subcommittee published the Vermont State Plan on Dementia in 2009.
In 2022, the state released the 2022-2025 Vermont Action Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease, Related Dementias & Healthy Aging, led by the Vermont Health Department’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging Program and the State Unit on Aging at DAIL. More than 40 stakeholders, including the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, and Vermonters with Alzheimer's and their caregivers, were engaged in the process. The new state plan highlights goals that are in alignment with the National Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map and the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. These include enhancing public awareness and engagement; improving data to track progress; and accelerating action to reduce risk factors for dementia.
Vermont 2025 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 are 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.
Expanding Adult Daycare and Respite Programs
19,000 caregivers in Vermont provided 28 million hours of unpaid care in 2024, often enabling their loved ones living with dementia to live in the community instead of moving into more costly residential long-term care. However, over half of the caregivers in Vermont are living with chronic health conditions. Adult daycare and respite programs provide necessary relief to family caregivers, allowing the caregiver to take care of personal medical issues, complete tasks outside of the home, or simply enjoy time off from the demands of caregivers. Current state funding is inadequate to meet the existing needs of caregivers for people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to increase the availability of adult daycare programs and expand the dementia respite grant.
Establish and Evaluate the Success of Public Health Education
Last year, Vermont lawmakers passed a law requiring dementia training to be included in all relevant public health campaigns. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on the Vermont Department of Health to ensure the timely implementation of this bill and to include an evaluation plan in the next State Plan on Aging.
Vermont State Advocacy Day
Join us in Montpelier on Thursday, April 10 as we turn the Statehouse purple and raise awareness about Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Advocates will come together to hear from key state lawmakers and urge action on policy priorities that will improve the lives of those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia. This year, we will also have an exhibit of art created by Vermonters living with dementia hanging in the Statehouse and will host the opening reception for legislators and the public around 3 p.m.
Sign Up to Learn About Advocacy Opportunities in Vermont
Find My Chapter
Together, we’re making an impact. Find an Alzheimer’s Association chapter in your community for more ways to engage.
12,800
people living with Alzheimer’s in Vermont
19,000
Vermonters are providing unpaid care
$116 Million
Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)
337
deaths from Alzheimer’s in 2021
17%
in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
255.6%
increase of geriatricians in Vermont needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in Vermont
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 Vermont policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.