Delaware State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
In 2012, the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter coordinated a meeting with Governor Jack Markell, Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services Rita Landgraf, and Director of the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD) Bill Love to discuss the importance of mapping out a strategy to address Alzheimer’s disease in Delaware, including through the development of an Alzheimer’s state plan. The Alzheimer’s Association and DSAAPD established a Task Force of caregivers, advocates, and professionals representing a broad range of organizations. With support from DSAAPD staff, the Task Force published the Delaware State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders in December 2013. Since the release of the Delaware State Plan, an Advisory Committee made up of a variety of stakeholders from the Alzheimer’s community has been meeting to oversee the Plan’s implementation.
Delaware 2023 Policy Priorities
Prioritize Alzheimer’s Across State Government
Today, numerous Delaware state agencies administer a variety of programs critical to people living with dementia, including Medicaid, adult protective services, and health professional and facility licensure. However, these efforts are often siloed, with multiple state agencies working separately from one another. Although Delaware has a state plan to address Alzheimer’s, it was completed in 2013, and much has changed in terms of the dementia landscape since then. Delaware needs an updated State Alzheimer’s Plan bringing all of the key state officials and private-sector stakeholders together to outline a comprehensive and coordinated approach to addressing Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging state policymakers to establish an Alzheimer’s infrastructure through a permanent State Plan Task Force and ongoing updates to the State Plan.
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Together, we’re making an impact. Find an Alzheimer’s Association chapter in your community for more ways to engage.
Contact Us
State Affairs Contact: Sean Dwyer
Phone: 215.399.9209
Email: stdwyer@alz.org
19,000
people living with Alzheimer’s in Delaware
47,000
Delawareans are providing unpaid care
$253 Million
Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)
68 Million
increase in Alzheimer’s deaths since 2000
12%
in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
205.6%
increase of geriatricians in Delaware needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in Delaware
The following resources developed by AIM and the Alzheimer’s Association will help you learn more about the issues impacting people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, how Delaware policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.