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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is a slow, progressive
3 disorder of the brain that results in loss of memory and other
4 cognitive functions and, eventually, results in death; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Because Alzheimer's is accompanied by memory
6 loss, poor judgment, changes in personality and behavior, and a
7 tendency to wander, individuals with this disease are at
8 increased risk for accidental injury, getting lost, abuse,
9 neglect, and exploitation; and
 
10     WHEREAS, With one in 10 people over age 65 and almost one
11 in every two people over 85 having Alzheimer's disease or a
12 related dementia, over the past 10 years the number of
13 Illinoisans with Alzheimer's and related dementias has risen
14 dramatically to the point that today over 210,000 people are
15 affected; and
 
16     WHEREAS, As the baby boom generation enters the age of
17 greatest risk for Alzheimer's, by 2025 their number in Illinois
18 is expected to increase to over 239,000; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease takes an enormous toll on
20 loving family members, with an estimated one in four acting as
21 a caregiver for each individual with the disease; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Caregivers for individuals with Alzheimer's watch
2 closely the deleterious effects of the disease and often suffer
3 more stress, depression, and health problems than caregivers of
4 people with other illnesses; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is considered to be early
6 onset if an individual is younger than 65 when symptoms first
7 appear, and early onset Alzheimer's can strike someone as early
8 as their 30s, 40s, and 50s, with new data showing there may be
9 half a million Americans under age 65 who have dementia or
10 cognitive impairment at a level of severity consistent with
11 dementia; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has convened the Legislative
13 Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease pursuant to House Joint
14 Resolution 14 (93rd General Assembly); and
 
15     WHEREAS, The State of Illinois must not be complacent and
16 must renew its commitment to develop a more aggressive State
17 plan to ensure that the framework of programs and services to
18 help Illinoisans with Alzheimer's and other related dementia
19 are functioning and capable of meeting the challenge of this
20 serious public health problem among Illinoisans; therefore, be
21 it
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
3 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Alzheimer's Disease and
4 Other Related Dementia State Plan Council is created, to
5 consist of the following: 8 members of the Illinois General
6 Assembly appointed as follows: 2 members of the Senate
7 appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom shall
8 serve as co-chairman; 2 members of the Senate appointed by the
9 Minority Leader of the Senate; 2 members of the House of
10 Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of
11 Representatives, one of whom shall serve as co-chairman; and 2
12 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the
13 Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; the Director
14 of the Illinois Department on Aging (or his or her designee);
15 the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (or
16 his or her designee); the Director of the Illinois Department
17 of Healthcare and Family Services (or his or her designee); and
18 8 members of the public appointed by the Governor, to include a
19 representative of the Alzheimer's Association, a caregiver for
20 a person with Alzheimer's Disease, and a person with
21 early-stage Alzheimer's disease; Advisory Council members
22 shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for
23 their reasonable and necessary expenses from funds
24 appropriated for that purpose; and be it further
 
25     RESOLVED, That the Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related

 

 

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1 Dementia State Plan Council is directed to assess the current
2 and future impact of Alzheimer's disease on Illinoisans, to
3 examine the existing services and resources addressing the
4 needs of persons with Alzheimer's and their families and
5 caregivers, and to prepare, and develop a strategy to
6 implement, an Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related Dementia
7 State Plan in response to this public health crisis; and be it
8 further
 
9     RESOLVED, That the Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related
10 Dementia State Plan Council shall include in its Alzheimer's
11 Disease and Other Related Dementia State Plan an examination of
12 the following:
13         (1) trends in the State's Alzheimer's population and
14     their needs, including the changing population with
15     dementia, including but not limited to:
16             (A) the State's role in long-term care, family
17         caregiver support, and assistance to persons with
18         early-stage and early onset Alzheimer's; and
19             (B) the State's policy regarding persons with
20         Alzheimer's and developmental disabilities;
21         (2) existing services, resources, and capacity,
22     including but not limited to:
23             (A) the type, cost, and availability of dementia
24         services;
25             (B) the capacity of public safety and law

 

 

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1         enforcement to respond to persons with Alzheimer's;
2             (C) the availability of home and community-based
3         resources for persons with Alzheimer's and respite
4         care to assist families;
5             (D) an inventory of long-term care special
6         dementia care units;
7             (E) the adequacy and appropriateness of
8         geriatric-psychiatric units for persons with behavior
9         disorders associated with Alzheimer's and related
10         dementias;
11             (F) assisted living residential options for
12         persons with dementia; and
13             (G) State support of Alzheimer's research through
14         Illinois universities and other resources; and
15         (3) needed State policies and responses, including,
16     but not limited to, recommendations for provision of clear
17     and coordinated services and support to persons and
18     families living with Alzheimer's and related disorders,
19     and ways to address any identified gaps in service; and be
20     it further
 
21     RESOLVED, That the Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related
22 Dementia State Plan Council shall provide an Alzheimer's
23 Disease and Other Related Dementia State Plan to the Governor
24 and the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2009; and be
25 it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2 delivered to the Governor, the Director of Aging, the Director
3 of Public Health, and the Director of Healthcare and Family
4 Services.