Montana
Increase Public Awareness, Early Detection And Diagnosis
Helping providers help those affected
We are proud to announce our collaboration with Montana State Medical Director Dr. Greg Holzman to regularly provide Alzheimer's Association-branded educational materials. This will help to educate health care providers on the importance of early detection and timely diagnosis of cognitive impairment, validated cognitive assessment tools, the value of a Medicare Annual Wellness visit for cognitive health, and the new Medicare care planning billing code for individuals with cognitive impairment. Additionally, Governor Bullock signed The Caregiver Act into law during the 2017 legislative session. This law ensures that caregivers are made aware when their loved one transitions in and out of a hospital, and provided with supportive resources to help with their duties at home. Between now and 2021, we seek to improve on this success by working with our elected officials to integrate cognitive impairment and caregiver support into post-discharge planning at hospitals to the furthest possible extent, and by exploring ways to reduce avoidable hospitalizations for people with dementia.
Increase Public Awareness, Early Detection And Diagnosis
Empower Montanans to reduce risk, discover early warning signs and live safely with memory loss
There are currently 20,000 Montanans living with Alzheimer's disease. By 2025, we expect this number to grow by 35% to 27,000. It is increasingly vital that Montanans have the information they need to reduce their own risk of dementia and detect early warning signs of dementia. Therefore, we will continue to work with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to: 1.) Promote attention to brain health, early detection and diagnosis through public awareness campaigns 2.) Include those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers in DPHHS's Fall Prevention program. 3.) Ensure that DPHHS is fully capable of spreading this information to every county in Montana.
Increase Public Awareness, Early Detection And Diagnosis
Educating the general public about the importance of brain health
We continue to work with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to increase concern and awareness about dementia among the general public. Watch and listen to our statewide public service announcements highlighting care and support available through the Alzheimer's Association, and view our regular appearances on Aging Horizons.
Build a Dementia-Capable Workforce
End Montana's dementia care workforce shortage
Montana continues to have a direct care workforce shortage with a lack of care providers statewide. We must therefore eliminate barriers to the employment of a possible direct care worker, beginning with training and continually studying/monitoring the specifics of Montana's direct care workforce shortage. Our next steps to address this problem are: 1.) Working with the Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Program to include Alzheimer's Association evidence-informed training in its dementia care curriculum. 2.) The utilization of grant monies to provide additional education and training opportunities to address skills gaps in the workforce. 3.) The establishment of Montana's first elder/dementia care workforce commission
Build a Dementia-Capable Workforce
Giving professional caregivers the tools they need
We will continue to work with Montana's legislature and Governor's Office to expand the availability of - and eventually require - competency-based dementia training of all direct service, administrative, supervisory, and other staff who are involved in the delivery of care to those with Alzheimer's and other dementias in licensed long-term care facilities, the home, and adult day settings.
Build a Dementia-Capable Workforce
Requiring training for adult protective services and law enforcement
In the coming years, we will establish a minimum level of required training for all Montana adult protective services (APS) workers and law enforcement personnel regarding the recognition of individuals with cognitive impairment, effective intervention in cases involving the abuse and exploitation of individuals who are cognitively impaired, and securing the safety of abused and exploited Montanans with dementia.
Increase Access to Home and Community-Based Services
Increase access to home and community-based services, including adult day care and respite services
In 2017, Governor Bullock signed into law HB 17, a measure to increase home and community-based service waiver slots and assisted living reimbursement rates. Despite the passage of this landmark legislation, it was completely defunded due to budget cuts. Call your legislator today at (406) 444-4800 and urge them to support full funding for Medicaid waiver slot expansion. Why is expansion so vital? People can live for up to 20 years with Alzheimer's (or other dementias); depleting their resources and leading many of them to qualify for Medicaid services. The waiting list for these services is protracted, in excess of 290 people. These are proud, once hardworking Montanans, now largely seniors who have no real remaining assets and nowhere to turn. Expanding services would enhance the availability of Medicaid-covered home and community-based services so people can avoid or delay nursing home care – an option that is more costly and less preferable than assisted living facilities or private homes.
Enhance the Quality of Care in Residential Settings
Reforming the guardianship system in Montana
In 2017, the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 70 (HB70), an act to strengthen adult guardianship and related protective services in Montana. The bill directed the Office of the Court Administrator to establish a working interdisciplinary network of guardianship stakeholders (WINGS), to provide ongoing evaluation and recommendations regarding Montana laws, services, and practices related to adult guardianship and conservatorships. We are currently awaiting the introduction of a bill in the 2019 legislative session to expand on this success by adopting uniform guardianship standards from other states. Call your legislators at 406-444-4800 and urge them to support legislation adopting uniform guardianship standards in Montana.
Advance Alzheimer's Policy
Protect Montanans with dementia from financial exploitation
LC 0589 is a bill currently before the Montana legislature, revising laws related to inheritance to prevent abusers of vulnerable adults from benefiting financially. Call your legislators at 406-444-4800 and urge them to vote yes!
Montana State Plan Overview
In June 2014 the Montana Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia Work Group was established as a grassroots collaboration with funding provided by a grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Improving the Lives of Alzheimer's Patients and Their Caregivers: A Patient-Centered Statewide Approach. The Work Group is a statewide partnership consisting of several key national, state, and local partners interested in improving care and support to Montanans with Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias, their families, and caregivers. The Work Group consists of over 40 members representing multiple industries or stakeholder groups including the Alzheimer's Association, the Senior and Long-term Care Division of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Governor's Office, other government agencies, patient advocacy groups, patient advocates (caregivers), Assisted Living/Long-Term Care facilities, senior services groups, regional healthcare organizations and providers, the Veteran's Administration, educators, researchers, legislators, Montana's Native American population, and the LGBT community. In December 2016 the Work Group published Montana's Alzheimer's and Dementia State Plan: Addressing the Current and Future Needs of Individuals and Families with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.
Montana State Advocacy Day
April 17, 2019
Join us in the the Montana State Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, April 17 at 11:45am. Together, we will elevate the urgency around this epidemic as, together, we create a dementia-capable Montana. Light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by April 5 by calling 800.272.3900 or visiting alz.org/crf.
2020 Advocacy Forum
March 22-24, 2020 alz.org/forum
As an Alzheimer's advocate, you've worked to advance critical public policy, making a difference in the lives of all those impacted by Alzheimer's. Together we've achieved great increases in federal Alzheimer's research funding and secured critical advances in care and support. But we can't take our successes for granted — we need to keep the pressure on.
Join us in Washington for an inspiring three-day event filled with networking, training and education.
Be part of the movement that's making a difference in the fight against Alzheimer's.
Sign Up to Learn More About Advocacy Opportunities in Montana
State Affairs Contact Nick Hart | | [email protected]
Elected Officials
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Number of People Aged 65 and Older With Alzheimer's by Age
| Year | 65-74 | 75-84 | 85+ | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3,300 | 8,900 | 8,800 | 21,000 |
| 2025 | 4,200 | 12,000 | 10,000 | 27,000 |
Percentage change from 2019
Medicaid
$157
MILLION
Medicaid costs of caring for people with Alzheimer's (2019)
27.7%
change in costs from 2019 to 2025
Medicare
$17,455
per capita Medicare spending on people with dementia (in 2018 dollars)
HOSPICE (2016)
#
of people in hospice have a primary diagnosis of dementia
of people in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
Hospitals (2015)
#
of emergency department visits per 1,000 people with dementia
dementia patient hospital readmission rate
Caregiving
Number of Caregivers
Total Hours of Unpaid Care
Total Value of Unpaid Care
Higher Health Costs of Caregivers
Number of Deaths from Alzheimer's Disease (2017)
For more information, view the 2019 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 14 million will have the disease in 2050. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias is estimated to total $290 billion in 2019, increasing to $1.1 trillion (in today's dollars) by mid-century. Nearly one in every three seniors who dies each year has Alzheimer's or another dementia.