Utah
Build a Dementia-Capable Workforce
Supporting HB 215 - Establishing the Silver Alert Program to Support Utahns with Alzheimer's and other Dementias
By 2025 there will be over 42,000 Utahns living with Alzheimer’s, 60% of whom will wander. To ensure the safety of those with Alzheimer's and other dementias, our state needs a Silver Alert program to quickly identify individuals who have wandered away from their homes. The Silver Alert is a public notification program used across the nation to broadcast information about missing persons with some form of cognitive impairment. Utah’s Silver Alert bill (House Bill 215) would allow local first responders or Adult Protective Services to send out information to the surrounding area and then issue a statewide alert if needed. We support this legislation and are working to train first responding agencies to appropriately engage people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments ensuring faster response times and better outcomes for those individuals.
Utah State Plan Overview
In March 2011, Utah legislature Senate Bill 48 establishing the Utah State Plan Task Force within the Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services. Tasked with assessing the current and future impact of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias within the state, the Task Force included representatives from state agencies, homecare providers, health plans, and elder law, as well as state legislators, an individual living with the disease, caregivers, and the lieutenant governor. Collecting public feedback, the Task Force drafted Utah's State Plan for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Action Plan for 2012-2017, published in January 2012.
Utah State Advocacy Day
February 27, 2019
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 Utah
State Affairs Contact Jeremy Cunningham | 801 265 1944 | [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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5,200 | 15,000 | 13,000 | 33,000 |
| 2025 | 6,600 | 20,000 | 15,000 | 42,000 |
Percentage change from 2019
Medicaid
$180
MILLION
Medicaid costs of caring for people with Alzheimer's (2019)
29.6%
change in costs from 2019 to 2025
Medicare
$21,051
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)
| 4th | leading cause of death in Utah |
| 190% | increase in Alzheimer's deaths since 2000 |
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.