South Dakota State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
Established in 2015, the South Dakota Alzheimer’s Disease State Plan Work Group expanded in April 2017 to include a larger group of stakeholders charged with creating the state’s response to Alzheimer’s. The Work Group conducted a comprehensive needs assessment and hosted town halls across the state, which were supported by a South Dakota Community Foundation Community Innovation Grant. In June 2018, the South Dakota State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias was published.
South Dakota 2023 Policy Priorities
Establish Adult Day Programs for South Dakotans with Dementia
Adult day services play a key role in the lives of many people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia and their caregivers. These programs often provide caregivers with valuable respite and create opportunities for people living with the disease to be in a social setting with professional supervision. Despite the importance of these services, South Dakota has only two adult day providers across the entire state leading many caregivers to struggle to find respite care. The Alzheimer’s Association is advocating for the appropriation of $5 million for the Department of Human Services to fund program-development grants designed to create new adult day programs that serve people living with dementia across South Dakota.
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Find My Chapter
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: Thomas Elness
Phone: 605.789.4997
Email: tkelness@alz.org
18,000
people living with Alzheimer’s in South Dakota
19,000
South Dakotans are providing unpaid care
$182 Million
Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)
18 Million
increase in Alzheimer’s deaths since 2000
13%
in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
193.3%
increase of geriatricians in South Dakota needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in South Dakota
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 South Dakota policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.