Minnesota Agencies

The Alzheimer's disease working group must review and revise the 2011 report, "Preparing Minnesota for Alzheimer's: the Budgetary, Social and Personal Impacts". The working group shall consider and make recommendations and findings on the following issues as related to Alzheimer's disease or other dementias:

• analysis and assessment of public health and health care data to accurately determine trends and disparities in cognitive decline;
• public awareness, knowledge, and attitudes, including knowledge gaps, stigma, availability of information, and supportive community environments;
• risk reduction, including health education and health promotion on risk factors, safety, and potentially avoidable hospitalizations;
• diagnosis and treatment, including early detection, access to diagnosis, quality of dementia care, and cost of treatment;
• professional education and training, including geriatric education for licensed health care professionals and dementia-specific training for direct care workers, first responders, and other professionals in communities;
• residential services, including cost to families as well as regulation and licensing gaps; and
• cultural competence and responsiveness to reduce health disparities and improve access to high-quality dementia care.

The Board on Aging must submit a report providing the findings and recommendations of the working group, including any draft legislation necessary to implement the recommendations, to the governor and chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health care by January 15, 2019.

The Board of Aging was required to convene the first meeting of the working group no later than January 15, 2018. The working group met five times in person in 2018.

The working group expires June 30, 2019, or the day after the working group submits the report required in subdivision 6, whichever is earlier.

16 members to an Alzheimer's disease working group, as follows:

• a caregiver of a person who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease;
• a person who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease;
• two representatives from the nursing facility or senior housing profession;
• a representative of the home care or adult day services profession;
• two geriatricians, one of whom serves a diverse or underserved community;
• a psychologist who specializes in dementia care;
• an Alzheimer's researcher;
• a representative of the Alzheimer's Association;
• two members from community-based organizations serving one or more diverse or underserved communities;
• the commissioner of human services or a designee;
• the commissioner of health or a designee;
• the ombudsman for long-term care or a designee; and
• one member of the Minnesota Board on Aging, selected by the board.

The executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging serves on the working group as a nonvoting member.
The appointing authorities under this subdivision must complete their appointments no later than December 15, 2017.