Alzheimer’s is a complex disease that presents many challenging symptoms for caregivers to manage.
Ukiah Alzheimer’s Association representative Elizabeth Santos recently met with others from around the state in Sacramento to lobby legislators for support for issues around Alzheimer’s research and care.
Jessica Rothhaar, Sr. Public Policy & Advocacy Manager for the Alzheimter’s Association North Coast and Greater Bay Area, explained, “As an Organizer, my duties are to recruit and train volunteers like Elizabeth Santos to lobby Legislators, to make sure Legislators understand the impact of Alzheimer’s on institutions and families. We train volunteers who are comfortable sharing their personal experiences in three minutes or less with Legislators.
“I have been an advocate for quality health care for all. I believe passionately in the constitutional right to petition our Representatives to let them know what we need, and to be responsive to us,” explained Rothhaar. Rothhaar may be reached at: jrothhaaralz.org or phone: 510-414-5918.
Ukiah resident Elizabeth Santos with Lynn McKenna (Eureka), Eva Favila, Windsor (diagnosed with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s) and her friend, Cristian Herrera from Rio Linda, Calif.Below are some key points presented to Legislators.
2025 California Legislative Co-sign requests:
Budget Request: California Alzheimer’s Disease Centers. Priority: Advance Risk Reduction, Early Detection and Diagnosis. The state’s 10 California Alzheimer’s Disease Centers (CADCs) are national leaders and innovators in prevention, diagnostics, and treatments.
Funding levels have remained stagnant at just $250,000 per site each year, an amount that has remained unchanged since CADCs were established in the 1980s.
Alzheimer’s Association is asking that funding for the CADCs be increased to $500,000 per site ($5 million annually, a $2.2 million increase over current levels).
Support Budget Request: Adult Day Health Care (CBAS). Priority: Increase Access to Care, Support and Treatment
CBAS (Community Based Adult Services) centers provide respite; socialization; individual assessment; nursing services; physical, occupational and speech therapies; mental health services; social services; personal care; a meal; nutritional counseling; and transportation to and from the participant’s home.
The current Medi-Cal rate for CBAS is just $83.90 per participant, per day, while operating costs are $131 per participant, per day. CBAS helps prevent nursing home placement costing $398 to $461 per person, per day.
Alzheimer’s Association is partnering with the California Association for Adult Day Services to request $74.8 million from the ongoing General Funds beginning in the 2025-26 budget to get halfway from $83.90 to $131 and thus help stabilize CBAS operations.
SB 412 (Limón) Alzheimer’s Education and Awareness in Home Care Priority: Improve Quality of Care
Many individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease employ Home Care Aides to provide essential, nonmedical assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs).
This bill adds new requirements for both Home Care Organizations as well as unaffiliated Home Care Aides, registered with the Department of Social Services, to include training topics on Alzheimer’s and dementia to create a more dementia-informed and capable Home Care workforce Ask: Please support this bill.
(Budget Committee) Cognitive Health Assessment Training and Reporting. The priority is: Advance Risk Reduction, Early Detection and Diagnosis
Under current law, Medi-Cal beneficiaries 65 years and older are eligible for an annual cognitive health assessment, if the health care provider has completed cognitive health assessment training through “Dementia Care Aware”, a program approved by the Department of Health Care Services.
The funding for Dementia Care Aware and its training has expired.
This trailer bill allows the continued use of this billing code for Medi-Cal diagnostics and care planning while removing the training requirement.
SB412 ((LIMÓN) ALzheimer’s Education and Awareness in Home Care
Many individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease employ Home Care Aides to provide essential, nonmedical assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as: bathing, dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting, and incontinence care, and assisting with medication that the client self-administers.
The state’s 120,000 Home Care Aides are required to register with the Department of Social Services but are currently not required to receive training related to persons with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Current law requires Home Care Organizations to offer a 5-hour orientation to their affiliated home care aides, which includes the following topics:
1) clients’ rights and safety, 2) how to provide for, and respond to, a client’s daily living needs, 3) how to report, prevent and detect abuse and neglect, 4) how to assist a client with personal hygiene and other home care services, and 5) if transportation services are provided, how to safely transport a client.
Unaffiliated aides, those not working for a Home Care Organization, do not have any training requirements.
Up to 90 percent of people with dementia develop behavioral symptoms including agitation, apathy, anxiety, irritability, and sometimes delusions or hallucinations. Managing these symptoms presents one of the most challenging and stressful aspects of dementia care.
Providing a baseline foundation for an improved understanding of Alzheimer’s disease will improve care and reduce caregiver stress.
Background: In 2013, California enacted the “Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act” (AB 1217, Lowenthal, Chapter 790, Statutes of 2013) establishing a registry for Home Care Organizations and Home Care Aides. The statute does not include training standards specific to caregiving.
Proposal: The Alzheimer’s Association is seeking legislation to ensure all Home Care Aides, whether affiliated or not, receive baseline training in the care of persons with dementia. Home Care Organizations would provide training during their existing 5-hour training requirement. Unaffiliated home care aides would self-attest that they viewed a training video from free sources.
What this bill does: This bill adds new requirements for both Home Care Organizations as well as unaffiliated Home Care Aides to include training topics on Alzheimer’s and dementia. Contacts: Andrew Mendoza, State Policy Director Alzheimer’s Association® | [email protected] Kate Kriner, Advocacy Manager Alzheimer’s Association® | [email protected] ALZ.ORG® | 800.272.3900
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