Jenny Horgan of the Alzheimer's Association told the oversight committee the subcommittee has met several times this year and is preparing a needs-assessment to survey people living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers as part of developing a state plan on Alzheimer's.

Horgan said roughly 26,500 people in the state live with Alzheimer's or dementia and that more than 48,000 caregivers provide support; those figures framed the subcommittee's recommendation to integrate brain-health materials into chronic-disease, aging and public-health outreach, to improve early detection and support for families.

The subcommittee recommended embedding cognitive-health measures into the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to monitor Alzheimer's' long-term population impact and urged continued partnership with the Commission on Aging, the Alzheimer's Association and other groups to raise awareness and expand provider capacity for diagnosis and care.

Horgan said the subcommittee has worked with the department on caregiver modules and public-awareness campaigns and expects to complete a needs-assessment and pull in other data sources to frame a state plan for presentation at next year's annual report.