HB 473

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to Alzheimer's disease; establishing
3	the Purple Ribbon Task Force within the Department of
4	Elderly Affairs; providing for membership; providing
5	that members shall serve without compensation or
6	reimbursement for per diem or travel expenses;
7	requiring the department to provide administrative
8	support; providing duties of the task force;
9	authorizing the task force to hold meetings by
10	teleconference or other electronic means; requiring
11	the task force to submit a report in the form of an
12	Alzheimer's disease state strategy and policy
13	recommendations to the Governor and Legislature;
14	providing for termination of the task force; providing
15	an effective date.
16
17	WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is a slow, progressive
18	disorder of the brain that results in loss of memory and other
19	cognitive functions and eventually death, and
20	WHEREAS, because Alzheimer's disease is accompanied by
21	memory loss, poor judgment, changes in personality and behavior,
22	and a tendency to wander or become lost, a person with this
23	disease is at an increased risk for accidental injury, abuse,
24	neglect, and exploitation, and
25	WHEREAS, approximately one in eight Americans 65 years of
26	age or older and almost half of Americans 85 years of age or
27	older develop Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia,
28	and
29	WHEREAS, this state has an estimated 520,000 persons having
30	Alzheimer's disease, which population is expected to triple by
31	the year 2050, and
32	WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease takes an enormous toll on
33	family members, with an estimated one in four family members
34	providing caregiving support for individuals with the disease,
35	and
36	WHEREAS, caregivers for persons having Alzheimer's disease
37	witness the deteriorating effects of the disease and often
38	suffer more stress, depression, and health problems than
39	caregivers of people having other illnesses, which can
40	negatively affect such caregivers' employment, income, and
41	financial security, and
42	WHEREAS, early-onset Alzheimer's disease is a form of
43	Alzheimer's disease that strikes a person who is younger than 65
44	years of age when symptoms first appear, but early-onset
45	Alzheimer's disease can strike persons as early as 30, 40, or 50
46	years of age, with new data showing that there may be as many as
47	500,000 Americans under the age of 65 who have dementia or
48	cognitive impairment at a level of severity consistent with
49	dementia, and
50	WHEREAS, the state needs to assess the current and future
51	impact of Alzheimer's disease on Floridians and the state's
52	health care system, programs, and services to ensure the
53	development and implementation of an integrated, comprehensive,
54	coordinated, and current strategy to address the needs of the
55	growing number of Floridians having Alzheimer's disease or a
56	related form of dementia and the corresponding needs of their
57	caregivers, NOW, THEREFORE,
58
59	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
60
61	Section 1.  The Purple Ribbon Task Force.-The Purple Ribbon
62	Task Force is established within the Department of Elderly
63	Affairs.
64	(1)  The task force shall consist of 18 volunteer members,
65	of whom six shall be appointed by the Governor, six shall be
66	appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and
67	six shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, as
68	follows:
69	(a)  A member of the House of Representatives.
70	(b)  A member of the Senate.
71	(c)  A representative from the Alzheimer's Association.
72	(d)  At least one person having Alzheimer's disease or a
73	related form of dementia.
74	(e)  At least one family caregiver or former family
75	caregiver of a person having Alzheimer's disease or a related
76	form of dementia.
77	(f)  A representative from the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory
78	Committee or a state memory disorder clinic.
79	(g)  A representative of law enforcement with knowledge
80	about the disappearance, abuse, exploitation, and suicide of
81	persons having Alzheimer's disease or a related form of
82	dementia.
83	(h)  An expert on the Baker Act and its impact on persons
84	having Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia.
85	(i)  An expert on emergency preparedness for persons having
86	Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia.
87	(j)  A representative of a health care facility that serves
88	persons with Alzheimer's disease.
89	(k)  A representative of the adult day care services
90	industry.
91	(l)  A representative of health care practitioners
92	specializing in the treatment of persons having Alzheimer's
93	disease or a related form of dementia.
94	(m)  An elder-law attorney.
95	(n)  A representative of the area agencies on aging or
96	aging resource centers.
97	(o)  A person who is an Alzheimer's disease researcher.
98	(2)  Initial appointments to the task force shall be made
99	by July 1, 2012. A vacancy on the task force shall be filled for
100	the unexpired portion of the term in the same manner as the
101	original appointment.
102	(3)  Members shall serve on the task force without
103	compensation and may not receive reimbursement for per diem or
104	travel expenses.
105	(4)  The Department of Elderly Affairs shall convene the
106	task force and provide necessary administrative support.
107	(5)  The task force shall:
108	(a)  Assess the current and future impact of Alzheimer's
109	disease and related forms of dementia on the state.
110	(b)  Examine the existing industries, services, and
111	resources addressing the needs of persons having Alzheimer's
112	disease or a related form of dementia and their family
113	caregivers.
114	(c)  Develop a strategy to mobilize a state response to
115	this public health crisis.
116	(d)  Provide information regarding:
117	1.  State trends with respect to persons having Alzheimer's
118	disease or a related form of dementia and their needs,
119	including, but not limited to:
120	a.  The role of the state in providing long-term care,
121	family caregiver support, and assistance to persons who are in
122	the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, who have early-onset
123	Alzheimer's disease, or who have a related form of dementia.
124	b.  The development of state policy with respect to persons
125	having Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia.
126	c.  Surveillance of persons having Alzheimer's disease or a
127	related form of dementia for the purpose of accurately
128	estimating the number of such persons in the state.
129	2.  Existing services, resources, and capacity, including,
130	but not limited to:
131	a.  The type, cost, and availability of dementia services
132	throughout the state.
133	b.  Requirements for dementia-specific training for
134	professionals providing care.
135	c.  Quality care measures employed by long-term care
136	facilities.
137	d.  The capability of public safety workers and law
138	enforcement officers to respond to persons having Alzheimer's
139	disease or a related form of dementia, including, but not
140	limited to, responding to their disappearance, abuse,
141	exploitation, or suicide.
142	e.  The availability of home and community-based services
143	for persons having Alzheimer's disease or a related form of
144	dementia and respite care to assist their families.
145	f.  An inventory of long-term care facilities serving
146	persons having Alzheimer's disease or a related form of
147	dementia.
148	g.  The adequacy and appropriateness of geriatric-
149	psychiatric units for persons having behavior disorders
150	associated with Alzheimer's disease or a related form of
151	dementia.
152	h.  Residential assisted living options for persons having
153	Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia.
154	i.  The level of preparedness of service providers before,
155	during, and after a catastrophic emergency involving a person
156	having Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia.
157	3.  Needed state policies or responses, including, but not
158	limited to, directions for the provision of clear and
159	coordinated services and support to persons having Alzheimer's
160	disease or a related form of dementia and their family
161	caregivers and strategies to address any identified gaps in
162	services.
163	(e)  Hold public meetings and employ technological means to
164	gather feedback on the recommendations submitted by persons
165	having Alzheimer's disease or a related form of dementia and
166	their family caregivers and by the general public. Meetings of
167	the task force may be held by teleconference or other electronic
168	means.
169	(6)  The task force shall submit a report of its findings
170	and date-specific recommendations in the form of an Alzheimer's
171	disease state strategy and policy recommendations to the
172	Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
173	President of the Senate no later than August 1, 2013. The task
174	force shall terminate on the earlier of the date the report is
175	submitted or August 1, 2013.
176	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.