Connecticut State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview

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In 2013, Connecticuts legislature passed Special Act 13-11, creating the states Task Force on Alzheimers Disease and Dementia. The Task Force met to develop and publish a list of recommendations in December 2013 in the Report of the Task Force on Alzheimers Disease and Dementia. The initial state plan focused on short-term goals to 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 2023 Policy Priorities

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Establish a State Dementia Services Coordinator Position

Approximately 80,000 Connecticut residents are living with Alzheimer’s, and this number is expected to rise by nearly 14% by 2025. To better serve the growing number of individuals living with dementia in Connecticut, the state must have a comprehensive and coordinated response to this growing public health crisis. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging legislators to approve creation of a full-time dementia coordinator position within the Department of Public Health to enhance coordination across state agencies, which can help reduce the long-term impact of the disease on state budgets and improve the lives of people living with dementia and their caregivers.

 

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Empower Home Care Staff with Dementia Training

Many of our most vulnerable residents living with dementia receive care and services in their home. The care needs of people living with dementia are unique and complex, and often pose challenges not experienced by other chronic conditions. An adequately trained home care workforce is imperative to providing quality and safe care to individuals with a cognitive impairment that may be experiencing memory loss, difficulty communicating, and aggressive behaviors. The Alzheimer’s Association urges state lawmakers to support legislation requiring four hours of dementia-specific training for medical and non-medical home care staff to increase the quality of care provided to individuals living with dementia who are receiving home and community-based services.

 

Find My Chapter

Together, we’re making an impact. Find an Alzheimers Association chapter in your community for more ways to engage.

Contact Us

State Affairs Contact: Christianne Kovel

Phone: 860.362.0951

Email: ckovel@alz.org

80,000

people living with Alzheimer’s in Connecticut

143,000

Connecticuters are providing unpaid care

$1 Billion

Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)

158 Million

increase in Alzheimer’s deaths since 2000

15%

in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia

82.4%

increase of geriatricians in Connecticut needed to meet the demand in 2050