LITTLE ROCK — Advocates of fighting Alzheimer’s disease recommended Thursday that the state further study the effects of the disease and come up with ways to assist families with the cost of caring for its victims.
But Rep. Butch Wilkins, D-Bono, co-chairman of the legislative Task Force on the Effect of Alzheimer’s Disease, cautioned that likely little would be done during the 2011 legislative session.
“We’re trying to be respectful of the state of the economy,” Wilkins said during a news conference in the state Capitol.
Charolett Martin, an administrator in the secretary of state’s office, said her mother has the disease.
“We try to look at it as the glass being half full,” Martinsaid. “She is so loving but yet in many instances is totally clueless.”
Wilkins said the effect on families can’t be underestimated. He said he’s dealt with Alzheimer’s for many years and has family members who have suffered through it.
The taskforce’s recommendations include:
Creating a permanent advisory council for continued study.
Require the Department of Health to collect data statewide on Alzheimer’s.
Establish a grant program to help communities deal with the disease.
Collect better Alzheimer’s information from the Medicaid program.
Help fund a research program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Fund a home- and community-care program.
Forgive student loans for medical and nursing students specializing in geriatrics.
Wilkins said that this session he’d like to set up a state grant for counties to track people with Alzheimer’s who wander off. He said he envisioned state funding helping low-income people pay for bracelets that people with Alzheimer’s would wear to help monitor their movements. He estimated that the grant would be about $100,000 but wasn’t sure where the money would come from.
He said he’d like to focus on major legislation for the 2013 session by having the task force continue to meet over the next two years.
Arkansas, Pages 8 on 01/22/2011