Task force urges state funding to keep dementia support specialists after federal pilot ends

The Nevada Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease and community advocates urged the Silverhaired Legislative Forum on Thursday to push for permanent state funding for dementia support specialists after a federally funded pilot expires.

Casey Venttorini, director of Dementia Friendly Nevada and a DEER program staffer at the University of Nevada, Reno, told the forum that the three dementia support specialist positions in Nevada’s pilot “have already helped expand outreach, strengthen collaboration, mobilize dementia education, connect families to resources, and turn community ideas into sustained local action.” He warned that, “without the dementia support specialist program, Dementia Friendly Nevada would have less on-the-ground capacity in key communities.”

Why it matters: The pilot brought community-facing navigators and crisis-response support to Nevada and is credited with referrals, memory screenings and stabilizing individuals as alternatives to emergency rooms or other institutional placements. Presenters said the network amplifies local organizing through the Dementia Friendly Nevada initiative and that roughly 64,000–65,000 Nevadans are estimated to be living with dementia.

Dr. Peter Reid, chair of the state Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, urged the forum to support the task force's top recommendation: replicate Wisconsin’s dementia care specialist model in Nevada. “TFAD recommends that ADSD replicate the Wisconsin dementia care specialist program in Nevada by developing the funding necessary to establish and sustain at least one dementia support specialist position in each county,” Reid said, describing how county-based specialists in Wisconsin have helped reduce hospital admissions and produced a reported return on investment in evaluations cited by advocates.

Policy context and next steps: TFAD noted two earlier bills (AB 167 in 2023 and AB 337 in 2025) asking for dementia specialist positions did not pass. The 2025 pilot, created with federal Administration for Community Living funds, placed three specialists in the state; federal support ends this October. Reid said advocates are preparing for the 2027 legislative session and encouraged forum members to consider submitting a bill draft request (BDR) to establish positions regionally. Presenters gave a rough fiscal illustration: previous estimates tied to scaled proposals suggested several hundred thousand dollars per year depending on whether the proposal sought five regional positions or full county coverage.

Forum reaction: Members asked for firm cost estimates and evidence from Wisconsin about savings and reduced hospital use. Presenters said more precise fiscal notes are available from prior legislative analyses and pledged to provide background material to members.

What comes next: The task force and DEER program asked the Silverhaired Legislative Forum to consider advancing a BDR or otherwise endorsing policies that embed dementia support specialists into Nevada’s aging-service network. The forum said it would review the materials and consider follow-up at a future meeting.