Early Detection Saves Families — and New Mexico Must Invest in It Now

By Deena Taylor Rolls, Corrales, New Mexico

I’m caring for my third family member affected by Alzheimer’s disease. My 84-year-old widowed aunt was diagnosed three years ago and is in what’s termed the middle stage of Alzheimer’s.
 
A lifelong active volunteer in the Corrales community, she struggles with the realization that she’s losing herself; no longer capable of what most of us take for granted: planning and preparing meals, paying bills, driving, taking medications, going to the doctor.

My sister was only in her early 50s when we first noticed something was wrong.

She was a caring wife and mother of two girls until simple things began slipping away. Missed appointments. Forgotten conversations. Confusion and anger that couldn’t be explained away by stress or exhaustion. When the diagnosis finally came — early-onset Alzheimer’s disease — our world changed forever.

She died at just 57 years old.

A month before my sister passed away, my 89-year-old father died, also with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. 

Like so many families facing dementia, we didn’t have the benefit of early screening, coordinated care, or guidance through a complicated medical system. We were left to navigate it largely on our own — searching for services, trying to understand treatment options, and learning far too late what resources could have helped.

That experience is why I urge the New Mexico Legislature to take an important step this session by adding a special appropriation to House Bill 2 — our state budget — to invest $1 million per year in a Dementia Care Specialist pilot program through the Aging and Long-Term Services Department.

This modest but powerful investment would place six trained Dementia Care Specialists in communities across New Mexico to:

• Screen individuals for Alzheimer’s and other dementias earlier
• Connect caregivers to available services and supports
• Help families navigate complex medical and long-term care systems
• Coordinate care before crises occur

Simply put, these specialists would act as guides — ensuring families aren’t left alone during one of the most frightening and confusing journeys they’ll ever face.

Today, over 46,000 New Mexicans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number expected to grow significantly as our population ages. Behind each diagnosis is a family struggling to manage medical appointments, behavioral changes, financial stress, and emotional exhaustion.

Early identification is one of the most powerful tools we have.

When dementia is caught sooner, people can access treatments that may slow progression, plan for the future while they still have capacity, and avoid many of the costly emergency situations that arise when care is uncoordinated. Caregivers experience less burnout. Hospitals see fewer avoidable admissions. Taxpayers save money in the long run.

Other states that have invested in community-based dementia care coordination are already seeing improved health outcomes and reduced Medicaid costs. New Mexico has the opportunity to lead in a way that is both compassionate and fiscally responsible.

This proposal is supported by advocates across the state, including the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers, health providers, and community organizations who see every day how desperately families need this kind of support.

And, importantly, this is a pilot program. It allows New Mexico to test, evaluate, and scale a proven approach without a massive upfront commitment.

For $1 million — a fraction of our overall state budget — we can fundamentally change how dementia care works in our communities.

As the Legislature finalizes House Bill 2 in the Senate, I urge lawmakers to include this appropriation for Dementia Care Specialists through ALTSD. It is an investment in early detection, smarter healthcare, and dignity for thousands of New Mexicans.

Dementia touches nearly every family eventually. Preparing for it isn’t optional. It’s essential and New Mexico has the chance to act now.