Sec. 17a-424. Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia task force. Membership. Development of State Alzheimer's Plan. Report. (a) There is established an Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia task force. The task force shall:
(1) Examine (A) the needs of persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia in the state, (B) the services available to such persons and their family caregivers, and (C) the ability of health care providers and institutions to meet the needs of such persons; and
(2) Develop a State Alzheimer's Plan, which shall make findings and recommendations regarding:
(A) State residents living with Alzheimer's disease and dementia and their service needs, including, but not limited to, (i) the state's role in providing or facilitating long-term care, family caregiver support and assistance to persons with early-stage and early-onset Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (ii) state policies regarding persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and (iii) the fiscal impact of Alzheimer's disease and dementia on publicly funded health care programs;
(B) Existing resources, services and capacity relating to the diagnosis and care of persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, including, but not limited to, (i) the type, cost and availability of dementia care services, (ii) the availability of health care providers who can provide Alzheimer's disease or dementia-related services, including, but not limited to, neurologists, geriatricians and direct care workers, (iii) dementia-specific training requirements for public and private employees who interact with persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, including, but not limited to, long-term care providers, case managers, adult protective services employees and law enforcement personnel and other first responders, (iv) home and community-based services, including, but not limited to, respite care services, (v) quality of care measures for home and community-based services and residential care facilities, and (vi) state-supported Alzheimer's disease and dementia research conducted at higher education institutions located in the state; and
(C) Policies and strategies that (i) increase public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, (ii) educate health care providers to increase early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, (iii) improve health care services for persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (iv) evaluate the capacity of the health care system in meeting the growing number and needs of persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (v) increase the number of health care providers available to treat the growing aging population and populations living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (vi) improve services provided in the home and community to delay and decrease the need for institutionalized care for persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (vii) improve long-term care services, including, but not limited to, assisted living services for persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (viii) assist unpaid Alzheimer's disease and dementia caregivers, (ix) increase and improve research on Alzheimer's disease and dementia, (x) promote activities to maintain and improve brain health, (xi) improve data and information collection relating to Alzheimer's disease and dementia and the public health burdens associated with such diseases, (xii) improve public safety and address the safety-related needs of persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (xiii) address legal protections for, and legal issues faced by, persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and (xiv) improve methods through which the state evaluates and adopts policies to assist persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:
(1) Eleven members appointed by the Governor, (A) one of whom shall be a person living with early-stage or early-onset Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (B) one of whom shall be a family caregiver of a person living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (C) one of whom shall represent a municipality that provides services to senior citizens, (D) one of whom shall represent home health care agencies, (E) two of whom shall be health care providers with experience diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease, (F) one of whom shall represent a national organization that advocates on behalf of persons living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, (G) one of whom shall represent the area agencies on aging, established pursuant to section 17a-850, (H) one of whom shall represent long-term care facilities, (I) one of whom shall have expertise in aging policy issues, and (J) one of whom shall represent homemaker-companion agencies;
(2) The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services, or the commissioner's designee;
(3) The Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's designee;
(4) The Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner's designee; and
(5) The State Ombudsman, or the State Ombudsman's designee.
(c) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not later than January 1, 2026. Task force members first appointed pursuant to subparagraphs (A) to (D), inclusive, of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section shall serve for a term of two years. Task force members first appointed pursuant to subparagraphs (E) to (J), inclusive, of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section shall serve for a term of three years. Any subsequent task force member appointed pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section shall serve for a term of two years, or until such member's successor is appointed. If the Governor determines that no suitable successor candidate exists to appoint to the task force, the Governor may reappoint an existing task force member for one two-year term.
(d) The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services, or the commissioner's designee, shall convene the first meeting of the task force not later than thirty days after all task force members are appointed. At such meeting, the members of the task force shall select a chairperson and vice chairperson from among the members of the task force. The chairperson and vice chairperson may serve in such roles not more than two consecutive years. The task force shall meet not less than once every calendar quarter.
(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging shall serve as administrative staff of the task force.
(f) Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the task force shall submit a report on the State Alzheimer's Plan to the Governor and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, public health and human services. Such report shall include recommendations for the implementation of the State Alzheimer's Plan and identify any barriers to the implementation of such plan. The task force shall update the State Alzheimer's Plan every four years.
(P.A. 25-16, S. 2.)
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