Alzheimer’s disease will not wait. It affects all classes of people across all regions of the country. There are 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer’s – 110,000 here in Missouri. It is the 6th leading cause of death and the only one among the top ten without a way to cure, prevent or slow the progression of the disease.

The Missouri Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force was commissioned by the 95th General Assembly to address the Alzheimer’s crisis in Missouri. The 19 member task force developed a plan that focuses on five key goals.  These goals were a result of the input gathered from hundreds of participants at community forums across the state regarding Alzheimer’s disease:

• Promote access to statewide expert diagnostic services that can lead to early intervention and support.
• Create a Road Map for care and support that provides quality information on services across the continuum from early diagnosis to end of life.
• Provide a wide array of community and home based services that may offer more cost-effective options for the rapidly increasing number of Missourians with Alzheimer’s and for their caregivers.
• Ensure a sufficient, dementia conscious, quality workforce at all levels of the care continuum.
• Maintain Missouri’s status as a research leader in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s continues to increase and the Missouri economy continues to struggle. In this challenging environment, the Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force has focused on advancing these five goals by building on existing resources, leveraging public / private partnerships, focusing on areas of greatest need, and promoting Missouri as a world leader in Alzheimer’s research.

Read the Missouri Alzheimer's State Plan Interim Report (24 pages).

Read the Executive Summary.