RD77 - A Report of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission


Executive Summary:
(The reporting requirements of § 2.2-720 G. is included in this report.)

Virginia's Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission has concluded another year of significant activity consisting of several meetings and collaborative projects. The group has continued its work on the development of the Virtual Center on Alzheimer's Disease-the "center without walls" - around a mission to establish a much-needed organizational structure for coordinating purposeful activities and initiatives an Alzheimer's and other dementing illnesses within the Commonwealth. We are proud to report that the Virtual Center now has a clear roadmap (see Appendix 5) for its next year's activity including, but not limited to, the design and execution of its virtual workspace, its public representation, intra and inter workgroup communication strategies.

The present report reflects three of the Commission's recommendations to address strategic problem areas related to Alzheimer's disease as high priority targets in need of now initiatives and/or further development. These recommendations are addressing specific challenges in the areas of:

1) Education and Training,
2) Services (including diagnoses, care, and support), and
3) Research.

The details following this summary, as well as the more ample details presented in the attached CD-ROM, substantiate the Commission's recommendations:

a. to support the implementation of a full-time Curriculum Developer to coordinate and facilitate Alzheimer's and related disorders training for all public safety personnel throughout the Commonwealth. The current appropriation ($50,000 annually) only provides for law Enforcement personnel training; the Commission's recommendation ($90,000 annually) would extend training to fire and Rescue personnel and to Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel;

b. to have the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) or the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) conduct an independent study of mental health needs of older Virginians, including individuals with dementia who need psychiatric services; and

c. to restore the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Research Award Fund (ARDRAF) to its 2002 funding level and increase the annual appropriation to support a sixth research grant.