| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to Alzheimer's disease; creating s. |
| 3 | 430.5025, F.S.; directing the Department of Elderly |
| 4 | Affairs to develop and implement a public education |
| 5 | program relating to screening for Alzheimer's disease; |
| 6 | providing criteria for awarding grants; providing a |
| 7 | definition; requiring grant recipients to submit an |
| 8 | evaluation of certain activities to the department; |
| 9 | authorizing the department to provide technical support; |
| 10 | requiring an annual report to the Legislature; requiring |
| 11 | the department to conduct or support a study on memory |
| 12 | impairment screening; requiring a report to the |
| 13 | Legislature; providing for implementation of the public |
| 14 | education program to operate within existing resources of |
| 15 | the department; providing that implementation of the |
| 16 | memory impairment screening grant program is contingent |
| 17 | upon an appropriation of state funds or the availability |
| 18 | of private resources; providing for implementation of the |
| 19 | screening study on memory impairment to operate within |
| 20 | existing resources of the department; amending s. |
| 21 | 400.1755, F.S.; specifying the types of facilities where |
| 22 | an employee or direct caregiver of an assisted living |
| 23 | facility may begin employment without repeating certain |
| 24 | training requirements; amending s. 400.6045, F.S.; |
| 25 | requiring direct caregivers to comply with certain |
| 26 | continuing education requirements; amending s. 429.178, |
| 27 | F.S.; specifying the types of facilities where an employee |
| 28 | or direct caregiver of an assisted living facility may |
| 29 | begin employment without repeating certain training |
| 30 | requirements; providing an effective date. |
| 31 |
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| 32 | WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease, a slow, progressive disorder |
| 33 | of the brain which results in loss of memory and other cognitive |
| 34 | functions, is the eighth leading cause of death in the United |
| 35 | States, and currently affects an estimated 5 million Americans, |
| 36 | with that number expected to increase to 16 million by mid- |
| 37 | century, and |
| 38 | WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease strikes approximately 1 in 10 |
| 39 | people over age 65 and nearly half of those who are age 85 or |
| 40 | older, although some people develop symptoms as young as age 40, |
| 41 | and |
| 42 | WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease takes an enormous toll on |
| 43 | family members who are the caregivers for individuals who have |
| 44 | the disease, and |
| 45 | WHEREAS, caregivers for individuals who have Alzheimer's |
| 46 | disease suffer more stress, depression, and health problems than |
| 47 | caregivers for individuals who have other illnesses, and |
| 48 | WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease costs United States businesses |
| 49 | more than $60 billion annually due to lost productivity and |
| 50 | absenteeism by primary caregivers and increased insurance costs, |
| 51 | and |
| 52 | WHEREAS, recent advancements in scientific research have |
| 53 | demonstrated the benefits of early medical treatment for persons |
| 54 | who have Alzheimer's disease and the benefits of early access to |
| 55 | counseling and other support services for their caregivers, and |
| 56 | WHEREAS, research shows that several medications have been |
| 57 | developed which can reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, |
| 58 | that persons begin to benefit most when these medications are |
| 59 | taken in the early stages of a memory disorder, and that this |
| 60 | intervention may extend the period during which patients can be |
| 61 | cared for at home, thereby significantly reducing the costs of |
| 62 | institutional care, and |
| 63 | WHEREAS, with early diagnosis, patients can participate in |
| 64 | decisions regarding their care and their families can take |
| 65 | advantage of support services that can reduce caregiver |
| 66 | depression and related health problems, and |
| 67 | WHEREAS, in direct response to research breakthroughs, |
| 68 | National Memory Screening Day was established as a collaborative |
| 69 | effort by organizations and health care professionals across the |
| 70 | country to promote awareness and early detection of memory |
| 71 | impairment, and |
| 72 | WHEREAS, on National Memory Screening Day, which is held on |
| 73 | the third Tuesday of November in recognition of National |
| 74 | Alzheimer's Disease Month, health care professionals administer |
| 75 | free memory screenings at hundreds of sites throughout the |
| 76 | United States, and |
| 77 | WHEREAS, memory screening is used as an indicator of |
| 78 | whether a person might benefit from more extensive testing to |
| 79 | determine whether a memory or cognitive impairment exists and |
| 80 | identifies persons who may benefit from medical attention but is |
| 81 | not used to diagnose any illness and in no way replaces |
| 82 | examination by a qualified physician, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 83 |
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| 84 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 85 |
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| 86 | Section 1. Section 430.5025, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 87 | to read: |
| 88 | 430.5025 Memory impairment screening; grant program.-- |
| 89 | (1) The Department of Elderly Affairs shall develop and |
| 90 | implement a public education program relating to screening for |
| 91 | memory impairment and the importance of early diagnosis and |
| 92 | treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. |
| 93 | (2) The department may award grants to qualifying entities |
| 94 | to support the development, expansion, or operation of programs |
| 95 | that provide: |
| 96 | (a) Information and education on the importance of memory |
| 97 | screening for early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's |
| 98 | disease and related disorders. |
| 99 | (b) Screenings for memory impairment. |
| 100 | (3) As used in this section, the term "qualifying |
| 101 | entities" means public and nonprofit private entities that |
| 102 | provide services and care to individuals who have Alzheimer's |
| 103 | disease or related disorders and their caregivers and families. |
| 104 | (4) When awarding grants under this section, the |
| 105 | department shall give preference to applicants that: |
| 106 | (a) Have demonstrated experience in promoting public |
| 107 | education and awareness of the importance of memory screening or |
| 108 | providing memory screening services. |
| 109 | (b) Have established arrangements with health care |
| 110 | providers and other organizations to provide screenings for |
| 111 | memory impairment in a manner that is convenient to individuals |
| 112 | in the communities served by the applicants. |
| 113 | (c) Provide matching funds. |
| 114 | (5) A qualifying entity that receives a grant under this |
| 115 | section shall submit to the department an evaluation that |
| 116 | describes activities carried out with funds received under this |
| 117 | section, the long-term effectiveness of such activities in |
| 118 | promoting early detection of memory impairment, and any other |
| 119 | information that the department requires. |
| 120 | (6) The department may set aside an amount not to exceed |
| 121 | 15 percent of the total amount appropriated to the memory |
| 122 | impairment screening grant program for the fiscal year to |
| 123 | provide grantees with technical support in the development, |
| 124 | implementation, and evaluation of memory impairment screening |
| 125 | programs. |
| 126 | (7) A grant may be awarded under subsection (2) only if an |
| 127 | application for the grant is submitted to the department and the |
| 128 | application is in the form, is made in the manner, and contains |
| 129 | the agreements, assurances, and information that the department |
| 130 | determines are necessary to carry out the purposes of this |
| 131 | section. |
| 132 | (8) The department shall annually submit to the President |
| 133 | of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a |
| 134 | report on the activities carried out under this section, |
| 135 | including provisions describing the extent to which the |
| 136 | activities have affected the rate of screening for memory |
| 137 | impairment and have improved outcomes for patients and |
| 138 | caregivers. |
| 139 | Section 2. Study on screening for memory impairment.-- |
| 140 | (1) The Department of Elderly Affairs shall conduct or |
| 141 | provide support for a study on screening for memory impairment. |
| 142 | The study shall analyze scientific evidence regarding techniques |
| 143 | for memory screening, assess the availability of memory |
| 144 | screening on a nationwide basis, and identify strategies to |
| 145 | expand memory screening services through public-private |
| 146 | partnerships to improve outcomes for patients and caregivers. |
| 147 | (2) The department shall, not later than 12 months after |
| 148 | this section becomes law, prepare and submit to the relevant |
| 149 | substantive committees of the Senate and the House of |
| 150 | Representatives a report that describes the results of the study |
| 151 | conducted under this section. The report shall include specific |
| 152 | recommendations to increase awareness of the importance of early |
| 153 | detection of memory impairment and to improve access to memory |
| 154 | screening services nationwide by supporting and expanding |
| 155 | existing memory screening efforts in the private sector. |
| 156 | Section 3. Implementation.-- |
| 157 | (1) Implementation of the public education program created |
| 158 | under s. 430.5025, Florida Statutes, shall operate within |
| 159 | existing resources of the Department of Elderly Affairs. |
| 160 | (2) Implementation of the memory impairment screening |
| 161 | grant program created under s. 430.5025, Florida Statutes, is |
| 162 | contingent upon appropriation of state funds or the availability |
| 163 | of private resources. |
| 164 | (3) Implementation of the study on screening for memory |
| 165 | impairment created under section 2 shall operate within existing |
| 166 | resources of the Department of Elderly Affairs. |
| 167 | Section 4. Subsection (6) of section 400.1755, Florida |
| 168 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 169 | 400.1755 Care for persons with Alzheimer's disease or |
| 170 | related disorders.-- |
| 171 | (6) Upon completing any training listed in this section, |
| 172 | the employee or direct caregiver shall be issued a certificate |
| 173 | that includes the name of the training provider, the topic |
| 174 | covered, and the date and signature of the training provider. |
| 175 | The certificate is evidence of completion of training in the |
| 176 | identified topic, and the employee or direct caregiver is not |
| 177 | required to repeat training in that topic if the employee or |
| 178 | direct caregiver changes employment to a different facility or |
| 179 | to an assisted living facility, home health agency, adult day |
| 180 | care center, or hospice adult family-care home. The direct |
| 181 | caregiver must comply with other applicable continuing education |
| 182 | requirements. |
| 183 | Section 5. Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section |
| 184 | 400.6045, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 185 | 400.6045 Patients with Alzheimer's disease or other |
| 186 | related disorders; staff training requirements; certain |
| 187 | disclosures.-- |
| 188 | (1) A hospice licensed under this part must provide the |
| 189 | following staff training: |
| 190 | (h) Upon completing any training described in this |
| 191 | section, the employee or direct caregiver shall be issued a |
| 192 | certificate that includes the name of the training provider, the |
| 193 | topic covered, and the date and signature of the training |
| 194 | provider. The certificate is evidence of completion of training |
| 195 | in the identified topic, and the employee or direct caregiver is |
| 196 | not required to repeat training in that topic if the employee or |
| 197 | direct caregiver changes employment to a different hospice or to |
| 198 | a home health agency, assisted living facility, nursing home, or |
| 199 | adult day care center. The direct caregiver must comply with |
| 200 | other applicable continuing education requirements. |
| 201 | Section 6. Subsection (4) of section 429.178, Florida |
| 202 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 203 | 429.178 Special care for persons with Alzheimer's disease |
| 204 | or other related disorders.-- |
| 205 | (4) Upon completing any training listed in subsection (2), |
| 206 | the employee or direct caregiver shall be issued a certificate |
| 207 | that includes the name of the training provider, the topic |
| 208 | covered, and the date and signature of the training provider. |
| 209 | The certificate is evidence of completion of training in the |
| 210 | identified topic, and the employee or direct caregiver is not |
| 211 | required to repeat training in that topic if the employee or |
| 212 | direct caregiver changes employment to a different assisted |
| 213 | living facility or nursing home, hospice, adult day care center, |
| 214 | or home health agency facility. The employee or direct caregiver |
| 215 | must comply with other applicable continuing education |
| 216 | requirements. |
| 217 | Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |