New Mexico State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
In 2012, the Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force established by House Memorial 20 was convened by the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department to assess and make recommendations for addressing Alzheimer’s and other dementia within the state. The Task Force included leaders of state agencies, health care providers, caregivers, individuals living with the disease, as well as representatives from academia and tribal organizations. After collecting input from the public, the Task Force published the New Mexico State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in 2013.
In 2014, the state established the State Dementia Plan Leadership Team and the Office of Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care within the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department. The Leadership Team worked to determine priorities and establish subcommittees to oversee state plan implementation. In 2016, a larger group of stakeholders was convened to analyze current dementia-related data and assess the state’s progress on State Plan implementation, ultimately producing the 2017 State Plan Update.
In 2022, the state published the New Mexico State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, which reflects current and emerging trends surrounding the growing crisis of Alzheimer’s disease in the state. The updated State Plan includes thirteen goals to further address the needs of persons living with Alzheimer's and other dementia. Among the recommendations included in the plan are strengthening the dementia care workforce; establishing a Dementia Care Navigator program; and establishing dementia training standards for law enforcement and first responders.
New Mexico 2023 Policy Priorities
Support Funding to Strengthen New Mexico’s Response to Alzheimer’s
In 2022, New Mexico updated its State Alzheimer’s Plan and identified multiple new strategies to better support the 43,000 New Mexicans living with Alzheimer’s and the 85,000 family caregivers. The Plan recognized that New Mexicans across the state have to navigate a complex system of programs, services, and benefits for people with dementia without a single point of contact to help decide which path is best. As called for in the plan, the Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to approve funding to establish a Dementia Care Navigators Program. The Dementia Care Navigators would be located across the state and can serve as a primary contact for people with dementia, caregivers, law enforcement, and community members who frequently interact with individuals living with dementia. Navigators can help facilitate diagnosis for people experiencing cognitive decline and connect individuals with community support services and programs. The Alzheimer’s Association is also calling on lawmakers to fund expand the Office of Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care to help oversee the program.
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Contact Us
State Affairs Contact: Tommy Hernandez
Phone: 505.404.9845
Email: tjhernandez@alz.org
43,000
people living with Alzheimer’s in New Mexico
85,000
New Mexicans are providing unpaid care
$227 Million
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
244.4%
increase of geriatricians in New Mexico needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in New Mexico
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 New Mexico policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.