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A resolution urging the Tennessee General Assembly to support the Colonel Thomas G. Bowden Act, SB 1749/HB 1686, to establish respite care program for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's and related dementia in Tennessee.
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WHEREAS, SB 1749/HB 1686, known as the Colonel Thomas G. Bowden Act, has been introduced by Senator Shane Reeves and Representative Ryan Williams and would establish a pilot program to be known as the Alzheimer's and dementia respite care program; and
WHEREAS, the program was first proposed in 2020 and would provide respite care service for families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, as well as those living with Alzheimer's disease; and
WHEREAS, the pilot program would run for three years and serve up to 150 enrollees each calendar year of the program's operation; and
WHEREAS, families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia at home are burdened with financial and personal costs of providing continuous care; and
WHEREAS, according to the Alzheimer's Association 2021 Facts and Figures report, over half a million Tennesseans are directly affected by Alzheimer's and dementia, and 357,000 family caregivers across the state provided nearly 500 million hours of unpaid care valued at over six billion dollars; and
WHEREAS, Medicare does not pay for long-term care or provide support to family caregivers, and long-term care insurance is costly and may not cover essential services for the length of time needed for an Alzheimer's patient, making it unaffordable for low and middle-income families; and
WHEREAS, a respite care program may delay or forgo the need for a long-term skilled nursing facility for those with Alzheimer's and allow them to remain in their home environment; and
WHEREAS, if passed, Tennessee would join a dozen other states in expanding respite programs to families coping with Alzheimer's disease and dementia; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Counc...
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