The Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Council was established through legislation enacted in 2000. In 2007, the Commonwealth of Kentucky enacted Senate Joint Resolution 6, which directed the Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Council to create a comprehensive strategy to respond to the growing Alzheimer's crisis. Appointed by the governor, the Council includes representatives from state agencies, local health departments, academia, and the medical research community as well as consumers and caregivers. The Council formed a wider work group to research and draft the State Plan. In January 2008, the Council published Setting a Roadmap to Address Alzheimer's in the Commonwealth: A Report of the Current and Anticipated Future Impact of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias on Kentuckians with Recommendations for Action. This plan was updated in 2017 and includes updated and new recommendations for combating Alzheimer's and dementia in Kentucky.

Incorporate Dementia in the Mobile Crisis Planning Grant

With a growing dementia population, state officials need to be prepared to appropriately respond to dementia-related behaviors to prevent a situation from escalating. The Kentucky Mobile Crisis Intervention (MCI) Planning Grant was established to expand and strengthen mobile crisis services in the state. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging the Department of Medicaid Services to include Alzheimer’s and other dementia as part of the targeted population for the three-year grant. Specifically, all MCI teams must receive dementia-specific training, promote dementia crisis services in public awareness campaigns, and include dementia data as part of the grant services.

Empower Adult Protective Services Workers with Dementia Training 

Adult Protective Services (APS) workers frequently interact with individuals living with dementia in a variety of settings and are often the first to respond to crisis situations. To best serve and protect individuals with dementia, APS workers must have proper training to recognize the signs of dementia and effectively communicate with people living with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging state lawmakers to require one hour of dementia training for Adult Protective Services workers.