HCS PARTNERSHIP: DEMENTIA ACTION COLLABORATIVE
By Lynne Korte As of 2020, there were an estimated 120,000 people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia in Washington, and the number is expected to rise to 140,000 by 2025. In addition, there are around 295,000 family members caring for a person with dementia. While this can be a rewarding experience, caring for a loved one with dementia can also be challenging and of long duration. The anticipated increase in the number of people with dementia spurred a call to action in 2014. The Washington state legislature authorized development of the first state plan to address Alzheimer’s disease along with the appointment of an Alzheimer’s Disease Working Group (ADWG) to accomplish the task. The ADWG, which included expertise from multiple sectors and community partners, was spearheaded by DSHS under the leadership of Bill Moss, former ALTSA Assistant Secretary. The group worked together to better understand the impacts of dementia, the needs of Washingtonians living with dementia, and the opportunities to improve our
state response to address the needs. A key takeaway from this early work was the importance of connection and coordination between public health, health care and long-term care. The Washington State Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias with its 7 aspirational goals recognizes the need to collaborate over time. When the plan was published in 2016, the enabling legislation expired. The ADWG, though, wanted to see the plan implemented. With the support of DSHS, the members of the ADWG decided to continue on voluntarily and renamed themselves the Dementia Action Collaborative (DAC). The DAC has continued, fueled by the passion of its partners, to operate as an effective collaboration of multi-sector public and private partners committed to preparing our state for the future. The DAC focused its first years on actions that could be accomplished through heightened collaboration and existing resources. Over the last several years, DAC advocates put forth several successful proposals to the state legislature to fund high-value priorities. “It takes all of us working together across the DAC
