The Nevada legislature passed Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 10 in 2011, creating the Legislative Committee on Health Care’s Task Force to Develop a State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. The Committee included a state senator as chair as well as medical experts, advocates and other key stakeholders. After gathering public feedback, the State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease was published in January 2013. The Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease was created within the Department of Health and Human Services with the passage of Assembly Bill 80 during the 2013 Legislative Session. The Task Force is responsible for implementing the State Plan.

In January 2021, the Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease released the state's biennial State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. The State Plan includes fifteen goals to ensure the state is appropriately addressing Alzheimer’s and other dementia. Among the goals presented include increasing dementia education for physicians; bolstering support for dementia family caregivers; and strengthening dementia training standards for care workers.

Support Dementia Family Caregivers 

The 48,000 caregivers in Nevada provide a value of $1.3 billion of unpaid care to their loved ones with dementia yet they receive limited support for their own well-being. Caring for people with dementia can be physically, emotionally and financially challenging, which is why it is critical for state governments to provide accessible caregiver support. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to establish the Medicaid Family Caregiver Program to provide financial and social support for family caregivers and legally responsible individuals (LRIs). The Caregiver Program will set individualized plans for training caregivers on the needs of the person receiving care and to assess their own needs, streamline the process for paying family caregivers, allow LRIs to serve as family caregivers, and conduct outreach on the benefits of the program. This cost-saving initiative will provide much needed support to caregivers across the state.

Support Guardians Through Dementia Training

Due to the impact of Alzheimer’s and other dementia on a person’s ability to make decisions and take care of their personal and financial well-being, some individuals living with dementia may have a guardian appointed. Yet while many individuals receiving guardianship services have dementia, guardians are not required to have any type of dementia training in Nevada. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to require all guardians of people living with dementia to receive dementia-specific training. This training will ensure the safety of both the person with living dementia and their guardian.