Governor's Commission On Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD)

History

The Vermont Legislature established the Governor’s Commission on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders in 1991. Since its inception, the Commission has provided leadership on a number of public policy matters specific to the needs and concerns of people affected by Alzheimer’s Disease or a related dementia (ADRD).

The Commission is composed of sixteen members including the Commissioner of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living or a designee, one senator chosen by the committee on committees of the senate, one representative chosen by the speaker of the house, and thirteen members appointed by the Governor. The members appointed by the Governor serve for terms of three years and represent the following groups: Physicians, social workers, nursing home managers, the clergy, adult day providers, the business community, registered nurses, residential care home operators, family care providers, the home health agency, the legal profession, mental health service providers and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Mission

The Commission’s mission is to identify key public policy issues related to ADRD, to educate the public and private sectors regarding these matters and to make policy recommendations in support of developing programs and services essential to providing accessible and appropriate services to people with dementia illnesses and to their families and other care partners.

The key functions of the Alzheimer’s Commission are to:
identify those persons in Vermont with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders
determine the service needs of those persons and their families
identify and enumerate the resources currently available within the state of Vermont to address those needs
identify ways to ease the burden that Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders place upon families, and
identify ways to promote public awareness of the symptoms and nature of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, to assure that proper diagnoses are made; and to engender greater public understanding of the problems faced by families of persons with such conditions.