Florida Senate - 2012 SB 682
By Senator Richter
37-00704-12 2012682__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to Alzheimer’s disease; establishing
3 the Purple Ribbon Task Force within the Department of
4 Elderly Affairs; providing for membership; providing
5 that members shall serve without compensation or
6 reimbursement for per diem or travel expenses;
7 requiring the department to provide administrative
8 support; providing duties of the task force;
9 authorizing the task force to hold meetings by
10 teleconference or other electronic means; requiring
11 the task force to submit a report in the form of an
12 Alzheimer’s disease state strategy and policy
13 recommendations to the Governor and Legislature;
14 providing for termination of the task force; providing
15 an effective date.
16
17 WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is a slow, progressive
18 disorder of the brain that results in loss of memory and other
19 cognitive functions and eventually death, and
20 WHEREAS, because Alzheimer’s disease is accompanied by
21 memory loss, poor judgment, changes in personality and behavior,
22 and a tendency to wander or become lost, a person with this
23 disease is at an increased risk for accidental injury, abuse,
24 neglect, and exploitation, and
25 WHEREAS, approximately one in eight Americans 65 years of
26 age or older and almost half of Americans 85 years of age or
27 older develop Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia,
28 and
29 WHEREAS, this state has an estimated 520,000 persons having
30 Alzheimer’s disease, which population is expected to triple by
31 the year 2050, and
32 WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease takes an enormous toll on
33 family members, with an estimated one in four family members
34 providing caregiving support for individuals with the disease,
35 and
36 WHEREAS, caregivers for persons having Alzheimer’s disease
37 witness the deteriorating effects of the disease and often
38 suffer more stress, depression, and health problems than
39 caregivers of people having other illnesses, which can
40 negatively affect such caregivers’ employment, income, and
41 financial security, and
42 WHEREAS, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is a form of
43 Alzheimer’s disease that strikes a person who is younger than 65
44 years of age when symptoms first appear, but early-onset
45 Alzheimer’s disease can strike persons as early as 30, 40, or 50
46 years of age, with new data showing that there may be as many as
47 500,000 Americans under the age of 65 who have dementia or
48 cognitive impairment at a level of severity consistent with
49 dementia, and
50 WHEREAS, the state needs to assess the current and future
51 impact of Alzheimer’s disease on Floridians and the state’s
52 health care system, programs, and services to ensure the
53 development and implementation of an integrated, comprehensive,
54 coordinated, and current strategy to address the needs of the
55 growing number of Floridians having Alzheimer’s disease or a
56 related form of dementia and the corresponding needs of their
57 caregivers, NOW, THEREFORE,
58
59 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
60
61 Section 1. The Purple Ribbon Task Force.—The Purple Ribbon
62 Task Force is established within the Department of Elderly
63 Affairs.
64 (1) The task force shall consist of 18 volunteer members,
65 of whom six shall be appointed by the Governor, six shall be
66 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and
67 six shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, as
68 follows:
69 (a) A member of the House of Representatives.
70 (b) A member of the Senate.
71 (c) A representative from the Alzheimer’s Association.
72 (d) At least one person having Alzheimer’s disease or a
73 related form of dementia.
74 (e) At least one family caregiver or former family
75 caregiver of a person having Alzheimer’s disease or a related
76 form of dementia.
77 (f) A representative from the Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory
78 Committee or a state memory disorder clinic.
79 (g) A representative of law enforcement with knowledge
80 about the disappearance, abuse, exploitation, and suicide of
81 persons having Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of
82 dementia.
83 (h) An expert on the Baker Act and its impact on persons
84 having Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia.
85 (i) An expert on emergency preparedness for persons having
86 Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia.
87 (j) A representative of a health care facility that serves
88 persons with Alzheimer’s disease.
89 (k) A representative of the adult day care services
90 industry.
91 (l) A representative of health care practitioners
92 specializing in the treatment of persons having Alzheimer’s
93 disease or a related form of dementia.
94 (m) An elder-law attorney.
95 (n) A representative of the area agencies on aging or aging
96 resource centers.
97 (o) A person who is an Alzheimer’s disease researcher.
98 (2) Initial appointments to the task force shall be made by
99 July 1, 2012. A vacancy on the task force shall be filled for
100 the unexpired portion of the term in the same manner as the
101 original appointment.
102 (3) Members shall serve on the task force without
103 compensation and may not receive reimbursement for per diem or
104 travel expenses.
105 (4) The Department of Elderly Affairs shall convene the
106 task force and provide necessary administrative support.
107 (5) The task force shall:
108 (a) Assess the current and future impact of Alzheimer’s
109 disease and related forms of dementia on the state.
110 (b) Examine the existing industries, services, and
111 resources addressing the needs of persons having Alzheimer’s
112 disease or a related form of dementia and their family
113 caregivers.
114 (c) Develop a strategy to mobilize a state response to this
115 public health crisis.
116 (d) Provide information regarding:
117 1. State trends with respect to persons having Alzheimer’s
118 disease or a related form of dementia and their needs,
119 including, but not limited to:
120 a. The role of the state in providing long-term care,
121 family caregiver support, and assistance to persons who are in
122 the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, who have early-onset
123 Alzheimer’s disease, or who have a related form of dementia.
124 b. The development of state policy with respect to persons
125 having Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia.
126 c. Surveillance of persons having Alzheimer’s disease or a
127 related form of dementia for the purpose of accurately
128 estimating the number of such persons in the state.
129 2. Existing services, resources, and capacity, including,
130 but not limited to:
131 a. The type, cost, and availability of dementia services
132 throughout the state.
133 b. Requirements for dementia-specific training for
134 professionals providing care.
135 c. Quality care measures employed by long-term care
136 facilities.
137 d. The capability of public safety workers and law
138 enforcement officers to respond to persons having Alzheimer’s
139 disease or a related form of dementia, including, but not
140 limited to, responding to their disappearance, abuse,
141 exploitation, or suicide.
142 e. The availability of home and community-based services
143 for persons having Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of
144 dementia and respite care to assist their families.
145 f. An inventory of long-term care facilities serving
146 persons having Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of
147 dementia.
148 g. The adequacy and appropriateness of geriatric
149 psychiatric units for persons having behavior disorders
150 associated with Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of
151 dementia.
152 h. Residential assisted living options for persons having
153 Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia.
154 i. The level of preparedness of service providers before,
155 during, and after a catastrophic emergency involving a person
156 having Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia.
157 3. Needed state policies or responses, including, but not
158 limited to, directions for the provision of clear and
159 coordinated services and support to persons having Alzheimer’s
160 disease or a related form of dementia and their family
161 caregivers and strategies to address any identified gaps in
162 services.
163 (e) Hold public meetings and employ technological means to
164 gather feedback on the recommendations submitted by persons
165 having Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia and
166 their family caregivers and by the general public. Meetings of
167 the task force may be held by teleconference or other electronic
168 means.
169 (6) The task force shall submit a report of its findings
170 and date-specific recommendations in the form of an Alzheimer’s
171 disease state strategy and policy recommendations to the
172 Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
173 President of the Senate no later than August 1, 2013. The task
174 force shall terminate on the earlier of the date the report is
175 submitted or August 1, 2013.
176 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.