California
Increase Public Awareness, Early Detection And Diagnosis
Ensure Early Detection in Every Community
Receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is a somber yet critical step in the journey of living with the disease. It is an opportunity for an individual and those they care for to finally understand what they are facing. Practically, this diagnosis is a first step in accessing crucial services including care planning. However, for too many Californians this step never occurs. Although 670,000 Californians are living with Alzheimer's, based on the most recently available national data, less than half of these individuals or their caregivers have been given a diagnosis. Helping more individuals receive a timely and accurate diagnosis is a foundational challenge. While the state invested in developing a toolkit to support doctors in this process, resources have not been made available to disseminate this critical information beyond the expert urban academic medical centers that collaborated statewide to develop this toolkit. This year, the Alzheimer's Association is supporting legislation that directs the consortium of ten California Alzheimer’s Disease Centers (CADC) to build upon the work already done to create the state’s “Assessment of Cognitive Complaints” toolkit, and develop, implement, and assess a “train the trainer” model to disseminate directly to physicians. Additionally, this bill requires that at least two primary communities be focused on during implementation: an underserved community and a rural community.
Increase Public Awareness, Early Detection And Diagnosis
Improve Tools to Help Californians Partner with their Doctor
Helping more individuals receive a timely and accurate diagnosis is a foundational challenge in helping this population, which is slated to grow as California’s aging population continues to grow. Part of helping an individual in this process is giving them the tools to have effective conversations with their doctor that can focus the process in receiving a diagnosis. The last time California developed a tool to help individuals in this process was 2003, with work by the California Department of Health Services and the Alzheimer’s Association called “Partnering With Your Doctor.” This tool must be updated to respond to the changes in the last 17 years. This update would ensure the needs of an increasingly diversifying aging population within California’s are being met. Lastly, tools like these must be evaluated for effectiveness and thus this update should include the ability to measure success of this proposed update. This year the Alzheimer's Association is supporting legislation that directs the California Department of Aging to update the “Partnering With Your Doctor” guidebook in consultation with experts, including health plans, physician representatives, cultural competency professionals, and dementia experts. This bill will also build an evaluation process where the guidebook can be evaluated every three years for effectiveness, contingent on funding
California State Plan Overview
In 2008, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 491 calling for the development of a state plan. Under the direction of the California Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee, established within the California Health and Human Services Agency, a task force was created including representatives from state agencies, community organizations, under-represented communities, and academia as well as health care providers, caregivers, and individuals living with the disease. After incorporating public feedback to address California's culturally diverse population, the Task Force published California's State Plan for Alzheimer's Disease: An Action Plan for 2011-2021 in early 2011.
California State Advocacy Day
February 05, 2020
Meet with your legislator in Sacramento - let your elected officials know the impact Alzheimer's has had on you and your family. Join 250 volunteers from throughout California speaking with one powerful voice to advocate for physician education, public awareness and financial relief.
Sign Up to Learn More About Advocacy Opportunities in California
State Affairs Contact Jared Giarrusso | 916-447-2731 | [email protected]
Elected Officials
Enter your address here to see your elected officials' positions on Alzheimer's and ways you can contact them to support the Alzheimer's community.
Number of People Aged 65 and Older With Alzheimer's by Age
| Year | 65-74 | 75-84 | 85+ | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 110,000 | 290,000 | 290,000 | 690,000 |
| 2025 | 120,000 | 380,000 | 330,000 | 840,000 |
Percentage change from 2020
Medicaid
$4,197
MILLION
Medicaid costs of caring for people with Alzheimer's (2020)
24.7%
change in costs from 2020 to 2025
Medicare
$32,940
per capita Medicare spending on people with dementia (in 2019 dollars)
HOSPICE (2017)
#
of people in hospice have a primary diagnosis of dementia
of people in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
Geriatricians
Number of geriatricians in 2019
increase needed to meet Alzheimer's population needs in 2050
Hospitals (2017)
#
of emergency department visits per 1,000 people with dementia
dementia patient hospital readmission rate
increase in emergency deparment visits since 2007
Caregiving
Number of Caregivers
Total Hours of Unpaid Care
Total Value of Unpaid Care
Number of Deaths from Alzheimer's Disease (2018)
| 16,627 | total deaths in California | |
| 3rd | leading cause of death in California | |
| 276% | increase in Alzheimer's deaths since 2000 |
For more information, view the 2020 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report at alz.org/facts.
U.S. Statistics
Over 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, and as many as 13.8 million will have the disease in 2050. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias is estimated to total $305 billion in 2020, increasing to $1.1 trillion (in today's dollars) by mid-century. Nearly 1 in 3 seniors who dies each year has Alzheimer's or another dementia.