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Alzheimer’s advisory council urges early detection, seeks state match to expand caregiver respite grant
Summary
At a Senate Public Health committee meeting, the Alzheimer’s Association presented the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Advisory Council 2023 report, highlighting rising prevalence in Arkansas, caregiver burdens, new training statutes, and calls for Medicaid reimbursement of cognitive screening and a state match to double respite grant funding to $400,000.
David Cook, director of public policy for the Alzheimer's Association, told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee the state’s Alzheimer’s and dementia response must shift toward early detection and caregiver support as treatments become available.
“What we do know is what's good for the heart is also good for the brain,” Cook said, emphasizing lifestyle risk reduction and the need for clinicians and patients to prioritize early screening so eligible people can access early-stage therapies.
Cook reported Arkansas estimates show more than 58,000 residents age 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s and projected that number could reach about 67,000 by 2025. He noted Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in Arkansas and said deaths rose substantially from 2000–2019. Cook also…
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