Milken Institute Announces New Alliance to Improve Dementia Care

13 million people in the US are projected to have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias in the next 20 years.

The Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging recently announced the launch of the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care. The Alliance will seek to transform and improve the complex health and long term care systems that people at risk for and living with dementia must navigate.

During the next 20 years, the Milken Institute projects that the number of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias will nearly double to 13 million. Two-thirds of all people living with dementia will be women. Further, the Institute projects the direct and indirect costs of dementia will reach nearly $380 billion in that same timeframe unless there are new treatments or changes to the way dementia care is delivered.

"These increasing numbers will test all aspects of our society and impact the medical, social, and financial needs of people living with dementia, their caregivers, and their communities," explains Nora Super, senior director of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging who will lead the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care. "Our health and long term care workforce and system are woefully unprepared to provide optimal care to the millions of people at risk for or living with dementia. The Alliance comes at a critical moment to ensure we build workforce capacity and implement comprehensive dementia-care models to effectively identify people living with dementia, tailor services to meet their needs and those of their caregivers, and ensure they get the right care at the right time."

With support from founding members AARP, Alzheimer’s Association, Biogen, and The John A. Hartford Foundation, the Milken Institute’s Alliance to Improve Dementia Care will set out to accomplish these goals:

• Partner with leaders across multiple sectors to create solutions to optimize the workforce, build system capacity, and integrate services and support.

• Collaborate with federal advisory boards, government leaders, and decision-makers to overcome long-standing payment and care barriers.

• Engage policymakers and connect with leading stakeholders to advance recommendations and develop scalable solutions to improve dementia care.

• Develop and promote policies that reduce disparities in prevalence and access to services for populations at the highest risk for dementia (eg, women, communities of color).

“Now more than ever, people living with dementia and their families require age-friendly care and services that are accessible, coordinated and evidence-based,” says Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of The John A. Hartford Foundation. “We are proud to work with the Milken Institute and other partners to identify cross-sector solutions that will improve dementia care for older adults and their family caregivers.”

Leveraging the convening experience and expansive network of the Milken Institute and its partners, the Alliance will bring together stakeholders from health systems, industry, research, advocacy, philanthropy, and government.

"We know that Black, Latinx, Native Americans, and women of all races shoulder the majority of the financial and emotional burdens of caregiving. The Alliance will prioritize efforts to develop strategies to reduce these gender and racial disparities," Super says. "Using a consensus-driven approach, the Alliance will also work to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and support caregivers."

The Alliance to Improve Dementia Care is accepting new members and supporters. For more information on the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care, visit www.milkeninstitute.org/Alliance.

Source: Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging