Full Text of HJR0039 95th General Assembly
HJ0039eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 39
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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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| 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
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| 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 Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Act created | 13 |
| the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee of 21 members to | 14 |
| review all State programs and services provided by State | 15 |
| agencies that are directed toward persons with Alzheimer's | 16 |
| Disease and related dementias and to recommend changes to | 17 |
| improve the State's response to this serious health problem; | 18 |
| and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, The 93rd General Assembly created the Legislative | 20 |
| Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease pursuant to House Joint | 21 |
| Resolution 14, and that task force conducted hearings which | 22 |
| included each of the State agencies having primary |
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| responsibility for implementing the "Alzheimer's Initiative" | 2 |
| of the 84th General Assembly when this matter was given a high | 3 |
| priority nearly 20 years ago, and the agencies were instructed | 4 |
| to provide an update on the progress made in implementing that | 5 |
| initiative - to determine whether the programs and services | 6 |
| developed by the State agencies reflect the original priority; | 7 |
| the reports of the agencies did not demonstrate any particular | 8 |
| progress, nor priority commensurate with the original interest | 9 |
| and intent of the General Assembly; and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, THE 93rd General Assembly Legislative Task Force | 11 |
| on Alzheimer's Disease recommended that the function of the | 12 |
| statutory Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee should be | 13 |
| expanded to include oversight and evaluation of the services | 14 |
| provided by the various State agencies and to solicit | 15 |
| additional findings and recommendations for improving State | 16 |
| programs and services; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, The State of Illinois must not be complacent and | 18 |
| must renew its commitment to develop a more aggressive State | 19 |
| plan to ensure that the framework of programs and services to | 20 |
| help Illinoisans with Alzheimer's and other related dementia | 21 |
| are functioning and capable of meeting the challenge of this | 22 |
| serious public health problem among Illinoisans; therefore, be | 23 |
| it |
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| 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 Illinois Department of | 4 |
| Public Health immediately comply with the Alzheimer's Disease | 5 |
| Assistance Act in activating the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory | 6 |
| Committee and ensuring that it fulfills the requirement of | 7 |
| reviewing all State programs and services provided by State | 8 |
| agencies directed toward persons with Alzheimer's Disease and | 9 |
| related dementias, and recommending changes to improve the | 10 |
| State's response to this serious health problem; and be it | 11 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That the Department of Public Health, in | 13 |
| conjunction with the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee, | 14 |
| assess the current and future impact of Alzheimer's disease on | 15 |
| Illinoisans, to examine the existing services and resources | 16 |
| addressing the needs of persons with Alzheimer's and their | 17 |
| families and caregivers, and to prepare, and develop a strategy | 18 |
| to implement, an Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related Dementia | 19 |
| State Plan in response to this public health crisis; and be it | 20 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee | 22 |
| shall include in its Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related | 23 |
| Dementia State Plan an examination of the following:
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| (1) trends in the State's Alzheimer's population and |
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| their needs, including the changing population with | 2 |
| dementia, including but not limited to:
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| (A) the State's role in long-term care, family | 4 |
| caregiver support, and assistance to persons with | 5 |
| early-stage and early onset Alzheimer's;
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| (B) the State's policy regarding persons with | 7 |
| Alzheimer's and developmental disabilities;
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| (2) existing services, resources, and capacity, | 9 |
| including but not limited to:
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| (A) the type, cost, and availability of dementia | 11 |
| services;
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| (B) the capacity of public safety and law | 13 |
| enforcement to respond to persons with Alzheimer's;
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| (C) the availability of home and community-based | 15 |
| resources for persons with Alzheimer's and respite | 16 |
| care to assist families;
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| (D) an inventory of long-term care special | 18 |
| dementia care units;
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| (E) the adequacy and appropriateness of | 20 |
| geriatric-psychiatric units for persons with behavior | 21 |
| disorders associated with Alzheimer's and related | 22 |
| dementias;
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| (F) assisted living residential options for | 24 |
| persons with dementia;
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| (G) State support of Alzheimer's research through | 26 |
| Illinois universities and other resources;
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| (3) needed State policies and responses, including, | 2 |
| but not limited to, recommendations for provision of clear | 3 |
| and coordinated services and support to persons and | 4 |
| families living with Alzheimer's and related disorders, | 5 |
| and ways to address any identified gaps in service; and be | 6 |
| it further | 7 |
| RESOLVED, That the Department on Aging, in cooperation with | 8 |
| the Department of Public Health and the Department of | 9 |
| Healthcare and Family Services, shall provide support staff to | 10 |
| the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee and shall be | 11 |
| responsible for preparing any necessary materials and reports | 12 |
| in conjunction with the work of the Committee; and be it | 13 |
| further | 14 |
| RESOLVED, That the Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee | 15 |
| shall provide an Alzheimer's Disease and Other Related Dementia | 16 |
| State Plan to the Governor and the General Assembly no later | 17 |
| than January 1, 2009; and be it further | 18 |
| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 19 |
| delivered to the Governor, the Director of Aging, the Director | 20 |
| of Public Health, and the Director of Healthcare and Family | 21 |
| Services.
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