The Florida Senate

400.4178  Special care for persons with Alzheimer's disease or other related disorders.--

(1)  A facility which advertises that it provides special care for persons with Alzheimer's disease or other related disorders must meet the following standards of operation:

(a)1.  If the facility has 17 or more residents, have an awake staff member on duty at all hours of the day and night; or

2.  If the facility has fewer than 17 residents, have an awake staff member on duty at all hours of the day and night or have mechanisms in place to monitor and ensure the safety of the facility's residents.

(b)  Offer activities specifically designed for persons who are cognitively impaired.

(c)  Have a physical environment that provides for the safety and welfare of the facility's residents.

(d)  Employ staff who have completed the training and continuing education required in subsection (2).

(2)(a)  An individual who is employed by a facility that provides special care for residents with Alzheimer's disease or other related disorders, and who has regular contact with such residents, must complete up to 4 hours of initial dementia-specific training developed or approved by the department. The training shall be completed within 3 months after beginning employment and shall satisfy the core training requirements of s. 400.452(2)(g).

(b)  A direct caregiver who is employed by a facility that provides special care for residents with Alzheimer's disease or other related disorders, and who provides direct care to such residents, must complete the required initial training and 4 additional hours of training developed or approved by the department. The training shall be completed within 9 months after beginning employment and shall satisfy the core training requirements of s. 400.452(2)(g).

(c)  An individual who is employed by a facility that provides special care for residents with Alzheimer's disease or other related disorders, but who only has incidental contact with such residents, must be given, at a minimum, general information on interacting with individuals with Alzheimer's disease or other related disorders, within 3 months after beginning employment.

(3)  In addition to the training required under subsection (2), a direct caregiver must participate in a minimum of 4 contact hours of continuing education each calendar year. The continuing education must include one or more topics included in the dementia-specific training developed or approved by the department, in which the caregiver has not received previous training.

(4)  Upon completing any training listed in subsection (2), the employee or direct caregiver shall be issued a certificate that includes the name of the training provider, the topic covered, and the date and signature of the training provider. The certificate is evidence of completion of training in the identified topic, and the employee or direct caregiver is not required to repeat training in that topic if the employee or direct caregiver changes employment to a different facility. The employee or direct caregiver must comply with other applicable continuing education requirements.

(5)  The department, or its designee, shall approve the initial and continuing education courses and providers.

(6)  The department shall keep a current list of providers who are approved to provide initial and continuing education for staff of facilities that provide special care for persons with Alzheimer's disease or other related disorders.

(7)  Any facility more than 90 percent of whose residents receive monthly optional supplementation payments is not required to pay for the training and education programs required under this section. A facility that has one or more such residents shall pay a reduced fee that is proportional to the percentage of such residents in the facility. A facility that does not have any residents who receive monthly optional supplementation payments must pay a reasonable fee, as established by the department, for such training and education programs.

(8)  The department shall adopt rules to establish standards for trainers and training and to implement this section.

History.--s. 15, ch. 97-82.