Advocate

 photo of Capitol

 

Join the cause

The Alzheimer’s Association--Greater Pennsylvania Chapter invites you to become an Alzheimer advocate. Join us and speak up for the needs and rights of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.

Spread the Word!
Share this information with your friends, family, and colleagues who are concerned about Alzheimer issues. To find out more about advocacy opportunities, please contact Leah Kithcart, Public Policy Coordinator, at 717-651-5020, ext. 124 or e-mail: leah.kithcart@alz.org.

Add your voice to ours — become an advocate today.

Act Now

JOIN US & Governor Corbett on Thursday, February 7th for the signing of the PA Alzheimer's State Plan Executive Order.  We will be meeting at  the Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104 at 1:45 pm as the hour long program is set to begin at 2:00 pm.  Please reference a map of the location here.  Please wear your PURPLE attire so that we can display our support and appreciation for the PA administration’s dedication to the Alzheimer’s cause.

What is an advocate?

Alzheimer advocates play an important role in improving the quality of care and quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families by working to improve dementia care and services; improve access to community-based care; improve quality care in residential settings; and expand funding for research and public programs serving people with dementia.

As an advocate, you will:

  • Receive regular updates about current legislative and public policy issues.
  • Stay on top of policy and legislative issues through alerts and updates.
  • Make calls or write to legislators to forward public policy priorities to improve quality of life for those living with Alzheimer’s.

Pennsylvania Advocacy

Pennsylvania General Assembly - Find your senator and representative, search for bills from the current and prior legislative sessions, get directions to the Capitol building and much, much more!

Pennsylvania Alzheimer's State Plan- House Bill 2270 sponsored by State Representative Kathy Watson would create the infrastructure and accountability necessary to build dementia-capable programs for the growing number of individuals living with the disease in Pennsylvania. Through the Department of Aging the committee will provide a comprehensive state strategy to address needs of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders and address a range of issues including: dementia capable support services for people at all stages of the disease; quantifying the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s in a state; quality of long-term care; Medicaid coverage of long-term care for those who cannot afford it; availability of diagnostic services; and safety of persons who wander. HB 2270 passed the House of Representatives 194-2 on October 1, 2012. 

At the end of the 2012 PA Legislative Session, House Bill 2270 saw some amendment challenges and ultimately did not pass.  However, Governor Corbett has agreed to sign an Executive Order to create the PA Alzheimer's Planning Committee within the Department of Aging.  Keep checking back for updates and please THANK GOVERNOR CORBETT! 

 Advocacy Victories

Pennsylvania Caregiver Support (Act 112) State Representative Matt Baker and Senator Kim Ward sponsored legislation to change the definition of "caregiver" to include caregivers who are not relatives or live outside of the home of the care recipient.   

 Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act (Act 108)  Due to the impact of dementia on a person’s ability to make decisions and in the absence of other advanced directives, people with Alzheimer’s disease may need the assistance of a guardian. Jurisdiction in adult guardianship cases often becomes complicated because multiple states, each with its own adult guardianship system, may have an interest in the case. Consequently, it may be unclear which state court has jurisdiction to decide the guardianship issue.

In response to this common jurisdictional confusion, the Uniform Law Commission developed the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act (UAGPPJA). The legislation establishes a uniform set of rules for determining jurisdiction, and thus, simplifies the process for determining jurisdiction between multiple states in adult guardianship cases. It also establishes a framework that allows state court judges in different states to communicate with each other about adult guardianship cases. Thank you Representative Tim Hennessey for sponsoring this important piece of legislation!

Federal advocacy

 

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