Empower Long-Term Care Staff with Dementia Training
Individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementia have unique needs that often make care delivery, communication and interaction more challenging and demanding. Direct care workers in long-term care settings, in-home services and adult day settings often do not have sufficient dementia-specific knowledge to effectively support those living with the disease. The Alzheimer’s Association will advocate for enhanced dementia training, including one hour of dementia-specific training for all new staff of assisted living communities, nursing homes, adult daycares, adult family care homes, and home health agencies. For all staff that have direct contact with residents living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, the Association will advocate to ensure all direct care workers receive additional training within the first four months of employment.
Champion the Creation of an Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Awareness Public Health Campaign - READY Act (SB 806/ HB 475)
The READY ACT, which stands for Ramping up Education of Alzheimer's and Dementia for You Act, is an awareness campaign generated by the Department of Health for health care providers. In a recent study, we saw that 94% of primary care physicians stated it is important to assess all older patients for cognitive impairment, yet fewer than half (47%) say it is their standard protocol to do so. Therefore, the Alzheimer’s Association has joined the Department of Health and the Department of Elder Affairs in pursuing legislation to provide Alzheimer’s information to health care providers through existing public health and community outreach programs that relate to brain health, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias.
Support Funding for Critically Needed, Person-Centered Home and Community-Based Services
Floridians with dementia and their family caregivers rely on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) to remain in their home instead of moving to a costly long-term care community. The Alzheimer’s Association will advocate in support of the Governor’s Budget Recommendation of an additional $10 million for critical programs that support those who need services and are able to stay at home. These programs include the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative (ADI) program and the Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) program. These programs provide vital respite services for the more than 527,000 Floridians who provide daily unpaid care for persons living with dementia. Currently, there are thousands of Floridians on the waitlist for these vital respite care services.
Expand Funding for the Alzheimer’s Association Brain Bus
With funding from 2019, the Alzheimer’s Association was able to take the Brain Bus program statewide and make over 300 stops across Florida annually. The Brain Bus is a mobile and virtual outreach initiative that prioritizes diverse and underserved populations throughout Florida. This program provides information on healthy living for the brain and body, early detection and diagnosis, caregiver resources and care planning, as well as emergency preparedness and information on COVID and caregiving. This year, the Alzheimer’s Association is advocating for continued funding for the Brain Bus to help serve the 580,000 Floridians with Alzheimer’s and 527,000 caregivers.
Florida State Plan Overview
In 2012, the Florida legislature passed HB 473, establishing the Purple Ribbon Task Force (PRTF) within the Department of Elder Affairs, consisting of 18 culturally diverse individuals appointed by the Governor, the President of the Florida Senate, and the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. The legislation required the PRTF to submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report of its findings and date-specific recommendations in the form of an Alzheimer's disease state plan. The state plan is based upon the January 2013 “PRTF Interim Report.” The Task Force published the Final Report and Recommendations, State Plan on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Forms of Dementia (ADRD) in August 2013. Although the legislation terminates the task force with the submission of the state plan, the findings and date-specific recommendations in the state plan provide a catalyst to mobilize a state response to this public health crisis, and a guide to modernize state policy with respect to persons having ADRD. In 2019, enacted House Bill 449 (Chapter Law 2019-147), Section 430.501 F.S., requiring an updated State Alzheimer’s Plan every three years with a separate annual report required. The bill also updated the membership of the state’s Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee which supports the State Plan development. An updated Alzheimer's Disease State Plan was published in November, 2020.
Florida State Advocacy Day
February 08, 2022
Join advocates from across Florida as we make our return to turn Tallahassee purple on February 8-9th, 2022 as we rally state lawmakers to pass critical legislation that helps raise awareness and enhance quality care for the 580,000 Floridians living with Alzheimer's. This will be a two-day experience starting with our evening Purple Lighting Ceremony at the Old Historic Capitol. Never advocated before? No problem! We’ll train you and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions before meeting with state officials.
