An Act to Establish the Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Advisory Council Within the Department of Health and Human Services and to Require a State Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2125
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: CRAVEN, BRIDGEO, DILL, DODGE, GATTINE, HASENFUS, MOONEN, STOVER, PIERCE
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-I, 22 MRSA §8553

Legislative Document
No. 2125
H.P. 1349
House of Representatives, January 3, 2024
An Act to Establish the Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias 
Advisory Council Within the Department of Health and Human 
Services and to Require a State Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease 
and Other Dementias
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203.
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CRAVEN of Lewiston.
Cosponsored by Representatives: BRIDGEO of Augusta, DILL of Old Town, DODGE of 
Belfast, GATTINE of Westbrook, HASENFUS of Readfield, MOONEN of Portland, STOVER 
of Boothbay, Senator: PIERCE of Cumberland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§36-G is enacted to read:
36-G.   
Human 
Services 
Alzheimer's Disease and Other 
Dementias Advisory Council 
Expenses Only 
MRSA 
§8553 
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA c. 1678, headnote is amended to read:
CHAPTER 1678
ALZHEIMER SPECIAL CARE PROGRAMS AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE 
AND OTHER DEMENTIAS ADVISORY COUNCIL
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §8553 is enacted to read:
§8553.  Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Advisory Council
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention shall create the Alzheimer's 
Disease and Other Dementias Advisory Council, established under Title 5, section 12004-I, 
subsection 36-G and referred to in this section as "the council," to examine the needs of 
individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, the services available in 
the State for those individuals and the ability of health care providers and facilities to meet 
those individuals' current and future needs.
1.  Membership.   The council consists of the following 15 members:
A.  The following voting members:
(1)  One individual living with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia or a family 
member of such an individual;
(2)  One individual who is the family caregiver of an individual living with 
Alzheimer's disease or another dementia;
(3)  One individual who represents nursing homes;
(4)  One individual who represents assisted living facilities;
(5)  One individual who represents providers of adult day care;
(6)  One individual who represents home care providers;
(7)  One physician who has experience diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease 
and other dementias;
(8)  One individual who represents a leading nationwide organization that 
advocates for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(9)  One individual who represents area agencies on aging; and
(10)  One individual who represents an organization that advocates for older adults; 
and
B.  The following nonvoting members:
(1)  The Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention or the 
director's designee;
(2)  The director of the department's office of aging and disability services or the 
director's designee;
(3)  The Director of the Office of MaineCare Services or the director's designee;
(4)  The long-term care ombudsman or the ombudsman's designee; and
(5)  The department's director of workforce development or the director's designee.
Additional nonvoting members may be added at the discretion of the Director of the Maine 
Center for Disease Control and Prevention for the purposes of conducting the council's 
work at the subcommittee level.  Each voting member must be appointed by the Director 
of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and serve for a term of 2 years, 
except that each member of the council shall serve until the member's successor is 
appointed and qualified.  If there is no suitable successor meeting the criteria, the voting 
member may be reappointed for an additional 2-year term.  Members of the council may 
not be compensated for their participation in the council but may be reimbursed for 
expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.  The Director of the Maine Center for 
Disease Control and Prevention shall appoint voting members of the council no later than 
September 1, 2024.
2.  Chair and vice-chair.  Members of the council shall select a chair and vice-chair, 
who may not be employees of the State and shall serve in their roles for up to 2 years.
3.  Meetings.  The council shall meet no fewer than 4 times per calendar year.
4.  Duties.  The council has the following duties.
A.  The council shall examine the needs of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease 
and other dementias, the services available in the State for those individuals and their 
family caregivers and the ability of health care providers and facilities to meet those 
individuals' current and future needs.
B.  The council shall consider and make findings and recommendations on all of the 
following topics:
(1)  Trends in the populations and service needs of individuals in the State living 
with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including:
(a)  The State's role in providing or facilitating long-term care, family caregiver 
support and assistance to individuals living with early-stage or early-onset 
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(b)  The State's policies regarding individuals living with Alzheimer's disease 
and other dementias;
(c)  The fiscal impact of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias on publicly 
funded health care programs; and
(d)  The establishment of a surveillance system to better determine the number 
of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and to 
monitor changes to such numbers;
(2)  Existing resources, services and capacity relating to the diagnosis and care of 
individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including:
(a)  The type, cost and availability of care services for Alzheimer's disease and 
other dementias;
(b)  The availability of health care workers who can serve individuals living 
with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including, but not limited to, 
neurologists, geriatricians and direct care workers;
(c)  Dementia-specific training requirements for public and private employees 
who interact with individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other 
dementias, which must include but not be limited to long-term care workers, 
case managers, adult protective services personnel, law enforcement personnel 
and first responders;
(d)  Home and community-based services, including respite care, for 
individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias and their 
families;
(e)  Quality care measures for home and community-based services and 
residential care facilities; and
(f)  State-supported research regarding Alzheimer's disease and other 
dementias conducted at public and private colleges and universities located in 
this State; and
(3)  Policies and strategies that address the following:
(a)  Increasing public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(b)  Educating health care providers to increase early detection and diagnosis 
of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(c)  Improving the health care received by individuals living with Alzheimer's 
disease and other dementias;
(d)  Evaluating the capacity of the health care system in meeting the growing 
number and needs of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other 
dementias;
(e)  Increasing the number of health care professionals available to treat the 
populations of aging individuals and individuals living with Alzheimer's 
disease and other dementias;
(f)  Improving services provided in the home and community to delay and 
decrease the need for institutionalized care for individuals living with 
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(g)  Improving long-term care, including assisted living, for individuals living 
with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(h)  Assisting unpaid caregivers for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease 
and other dementias;
(i)  Increasing and improving research on Alzheimer's disease and other 
dementias;
(j)  Promoting activities to maintain and improve brain health;
(k)  Improving the collection of data and information related to, and the public 
health burdens of, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(l)  Improving public safety and addressing the safety-related needs of 
individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias;
(m)  Improving legal protections for, and legal issues faced by, individuals 
living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias; and
(n)  Improving the ways in which the State evaluates and adopts policies to 
assist individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and their 
families.
C.  No later than June 1, 2024, the council shall create and submit a state Alzheimer's 
disease and other dementias plan, referred to in this subsection as "the plan," to the 
Legislature and the Governor. The plan must address the duties of the council under 
paragraph B, subparagraphs (1) to (3) with significant input from nongovernmental 
stakeholders. The council shall determine which state agencies will implement the 
plan.
Every 5 years after June 1, 2024, the council shall update and reissue the plan to include 
any other issues the council considers necessary and relevant toward addressing 
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
D.  By June 1st of each year, the council shall submit to the Governor and Legislature 
an annual report on the status of implementation of the plan, including any 
recommendations and a description of any barriers to implementation. The report must 
be made available to the public.
E.  Subject to the appropriation of funds, the state agencies identified in the plan 
pursuant to paragraph C shall implement the recommendations in the plan.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Advisory Council 
to examine the needs of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, 
the services available in the State for those individuals and the ability of health care 
providers and facilities to meet those individuals' current and future needs. It requires the 
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention within the Department of Health and 
Human Services to create the council. It also requires the council to develop a state plan to 
address Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and submit an annual report on 
implementation of the plan.