Support Dementia Caregivers by Increasing the Alzheimer’s Respite Care Program
Over 142,000 Connecticut residents are providing unpaid care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, thus enabling a large portion of the 80,000 people living with dementia in Connecticut to live in the community, instead of moving into more costly residential long-term care. The Alzheimer's Respite Care program provides critical funding to caregivers supporting their loved ones at home. With the growing numbers of people in Connecticut living with Alzheimer's, the Alzheimer’s Association urges state lawmakers to add one million dollars in additional funding to help support the needs of families providing care.
Establish a Dementia Coordinator Position in Connecticut
Today, numerous Connecticut agencies administer a variety of programs critical to people living with dementia. However, these efforts are often siloed, with multiple state agencies working separately from one another. As a result, the state does not have a clear response to how it is addressing Alzheimer’s. It is essential that Connecticut establish and fund a full-time Dementia Coordinator Position to coordinate programs and services, ensure implementation and updates to the Alzheimer’s State Plan and improve data collection and utilization. We are calling on the legislature to approve legislation establishing this position.
Connecticut State Plan Overview
In 2013, Connecticut's legislature passed Special Act 13-11, creating the state's Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. The Task Force met six times between September and December of 2013 and published a list of recommendations in December 2013 in the Report of the Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. The state plan focuses on short-term goals meant be completed over the course of three to five years. In January 2020, the Task Force published an update to the state plan, focusing on progress made, updating recommendations, and expanding the role for the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
Connecticut State Advocacy Day
March 30, 2022
Join fellow Alzheimer’s advocates for an exciting day of advocacy on March 30, 2022 turning Connecticut purple! This virtual event will feature an informative and engaging program urging state legislators to support ongoing dementia-related legislation benefiting those living with dementia and their caregivers. Never advocated before? No problem! We’ll train you and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions before meeting with state officials.
