Alzheimer's Disease: Major Challenge to State Policymakers

Alzheimer's Association
Tuesday, 25 April 2000

The growing number of people who will have Alzheimer's disease poses a major challenge to state policymakers, according to a new report issued today by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Alzheimer's Association.

The report, "Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: A Legislative Guide," says that state legislators face two interrelated challenges as they confront Alzheimer's:

- Sustaining the family caregiving system, which provides the backbone of care in the United States for people with the disease and, at the same time,

- Developing a system of appropriate, quality long-term care for people who need more care than families can provide, and deliver that care in a way both families and the states can afford.

In an effort to help states meet these challenges, NCSL and the Alzheimer's Association released a new legislative guide designed to assist state lawmakers develop options for people with Alzheimer's.

The new guide demonstrates how state legislators can address the tough issues by funding home and community-based services; adding dementia-friendly provisions to their quality of care standards; raising reimbursement to long-term care providers to increase staffing levels, improve wages and benefits, and add dementia training; and supporting innovative Alzheimer's research and service programs.

In addition, NCSL is releasing an audio tape, titled Alzheimer's Disease: Epidemic of the 21st Century, to add background information to the report. The report was prepared by the Forum for State Health Policy Leadership of the NCSL.

"We issued the report to shed light on the challenges of Alzheimer's and to offer practical ideas to state policymakers about how they can address those challenges. It extracts the best evidence from research and practice and draws heavily on programs and policies that states already have developed and that may serve as models," said Wendy Fox-Grage, Senior Policy Specialist at NCSL.

Judith Riggs, director of state/federal policy for the Alzheimer's Association, said the report is timely because the aging of babyboomers could bring a national epidemic of Alzheimer's disease.

"The disease already poses a major challenge to state policymakers," said Riggs. "Currently, state Medicaid programs help foot the bill for a staggering two out of every three nursing home residents. A significant portion of that spending is for people with dementia. In fact, at least half of all nursing home residents have Alzheimer's or a related dementia. Because they have the longest and most costly stays, they are the residents most likely to qualify for Medicaid benefits."

"Four million Americans have Alzheimer's now, and that number could explode to 14 million at mid-century as the babyboomers age," Riggs said. "Obviously the cost of the disease is a concern to every state policymaker."

A recent Alzheimer's Association study of state-by-state census data showed a growth in the number of people with Alzheimer's of more than 200 percent in some states by 2025 and 350 percent nationally by 2050.

For more information, or to contact Alzheimer's Association, see their website at: www.alz.org