Strengthen Disclosure Requirements for Alzheimer’s Care
Current law requires that long-term care providers that promote themselves as providing care or treatment to people with dementia in a special unit or through a special program must disclose their services and staffing information among other details. However, the disclosure information has been inconsistent and key information is not currently required. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state legislators to support HB 1794, the Alzheimer’s Dementia and Other Forms of Dementia Special Care Disclosure Act, to update the state’s disclosure form requirements and ensure the forms are reviewed by state agency officials in a timely manner. The bill also creates a commission to advise the Health Commissioner on specific items that should be included in the disclosure form. With this legislation, families of loved ones with dementia will have greater assurance that their loved ones are receiving high quality, dementia-specific care.
Equip Oklahoma with a Dementia-Capable Workforce
Individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementia have unique needs that often make care delivery, communication and interaction more challenging and demanding. Yet direct care workers in Oklahoma may not receive the most up to date information on best practices to care for this population due to the lack of a standardized curriculum. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging all stakeholders, including the Department of Health, to adopt minimum standards for direct care worker training and incorporating the evidence-based Dementia Care Practice Recommendations to ensure all Oklahomans with dementia receive high quality care.
Urge the Oklahoma Department of Health to Prioritize Dementia
With more than 67,000 Oklahomans living with Alzheimer's and 226,000 supporting them as family caregivers, Alzheimer's is a public health crisis in Oklahoma. However, many state efforts around dementia are siloed. Active coordination between all state agencies, the governor, the legislature, and community stakeholders will ensure that Oklahoma is addressing Alzheimer’s as a public health crisis, enable greater implementation of the State Plan and reduce the long-term impact of the disease on the state budget while improving the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Association is supporting efforts to update the State Alzheimer’s Plan and appoint a full-time dementia coordinator within the Department of Health to oversee this work.
Oklahoma State Plan Overview
In May 2008, the Task Force on the Effect of Alzheimer's Disease was established pursuant to Senate Bill 2186. Tasked with examining the impact of Alzheimer's disease and mapping a plan of action within the state, the Task Force included representatives from the private sector, community organizations, and state agencies as well as caregivers, state legislators, and individuals living with Alzheimer's. In September 2009 The Final Report of the Task Force on the Effect of Alzheimer's Disease in Oklahoma was published. In 2015, Governor Mary Fallin issued Executive Order 2015-32 to authorize an update to the state plan. The Oklahoma Alzheimer's State Plan 2016 was published in February 2016.
Oklahoma State Advocacy Day
March 09, 2021
Join fellow Alzheimer’s advocates for an exciting virtual advocacy day urging Oklahoma’s state lawmakers to support people with dementia and their families. We will have a series of informative and engaging virtual events with state government leaders to highlight the urgent need for oversight in the delivery of memory care to people with dementia. Our advocacy day will mix storytelling, advocacy training and direct engagement with your state government representatives. And we will all wear purple to unify us in our virtual efforts!
