The Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act establishes the Community-Based Services Network, administered by the California Department of Aging, which, among other things, requires the department to enter into contracts with local area agencies on aging to carry out the requirements of various community-based services programs. Among these programs is the Alzheimer’s Day Care-Resource Center Program. The Alzheimer’s Day Care-Resource Center Program is required to provide access to specialized daycare resource centers for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related disorders, and to provide support to their families and caregivers.

This bill would require the department, by July 1, 2021, to develop an informational tool to assist individuals and their caregivers in communicating with health care providers after receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and to make that tool available to the public, as specified. The bill would require the tool to be based on a specified publication, and would require the department to update the information provided in that publication and to ensure that the tool meets the needs of an increasingly diverse aging population. The bill would require the department to evaluate the tool for effectiveness at least once every 3 years, contingent on the availability of funding. The bill would be implemented using existing department resources.