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| Legislative Stuff
Here
are some proposed bills making their way through the national Congress
that deserve your interest and attention. They are presented in no
particular or prejudicial order...
Adult Day Health Care, Elder Abuse Training, and Local Ombudsman Funding Top Bill Priorities for 2010
Among the almost two hundred health and human services related bills introduced to the California legislature since January, the Alzheimer’s Association has targeted three as their top priorities:
AB 2073 is authored by Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal and co-authored by Assembly Members Beall, Brownley, Eng, Jones and Swanson. This bill would modify the criteria for determining eligibility for someone who is on Medi-Cal to attend Adult Day Health Care (ADHC). The purpose is to provide an alternative to the Governor’s proposed elimination of ADHC. While preserving this important program to enable people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias to remain in their own home, the new criteria would generate some state budget savings in response to the $18 billion deficit.
AB 2435, authored by Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal, would expand the required training for licensing psychologists, clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists to include elder and dependent adult abuse assessment and reporting. This bill would also correct an omission in the law that only emphasizes child and spousal abuse. People with Alzheimer’s and related dementias are among the most vulnerable to elder abuse. There continue to be dramatic increases in elder abuse, yet only 1 in 14 incidents is currently reported.
AB 2555, authored by Assembly Members Feuer and Nielsen, would appropriate $1.6 million from the State Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account to fund local ombudsman programs July 2010 to June 2011. Two years ago the Governor eliminated all state funding for the local ombudsman and significantly reduced their ability to visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities to ensure residents are safe and not being abused and neglected. This bill would only restore part of the funding eliminated by the Governor but is essential to protect these local advocates for nursing home and assisted living residents.
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| Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act
The Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act of 2009 (S.1492/H.R.3286)
has been introduced in Congress! The bipartisan legislation calls for a
significant increase in Alzheimer’s research funding to $2 billion and
provides support for the nearly 10 million Alzheimer caregivers.
National Alzheimer's Project Act
Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Evan Bayh (D-IN) introduced the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (S. 1555), highlighting the
need for a coordinated federal approach to confront Alzheimer's.
Building on the recommendations offered by the Alzheimer’s Study Group (ASG),
an independent, bipartisan panel created to evaluate the government’s
current efforts to combat the disease, this legislation creates a National Alzheimer’s Project Office within the Office of the President.
This office would provide strategic planning and coordination of the
fight against Alzheimer’s across the federal government as a whole.
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| Funding Secured For Alzheimer's Research
Thanks to the hard work of advocates, significant funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Healthy Brain Initiative at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been secured.
The House and Senate recently voted on a group of funding bills, which included $31 billion in funding for NIH and nearly $2 million for the Healthy Brain Initiative (which is a 9% increase over last year’s funding).
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