Senate Children and Youth Committee - House Aging, Children and Youth

The Senate Children and Youth Committee along with the House Aging, Children and Youth held a meeting where David Cook, Director of Government Affairs at the Alzheimer's Association, presented an update on the state plan for Alzheimer’s disease. He highlighted that Alzheimer’s disproportionately affects women in Arkansas and across the country. Cook provided statistics showing that over 7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, and this number is projected to increase significantly by 2050 if risk reduction efforts do not improve. In Arkansas alone, around 60,000 individuals aged 65 or older have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but the actual numbers could be higher as they don't include those living with other forms of dementia or under the age of 65. He emphasized that family caregivers, predominantly women, provide unpaid care to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Over 13 million Americans are family caregivers for individuals with this disease, and in Arkansas, there are over 175,000 caregivers who provided an estimated 268 million hours of unpaid care in 2025, saving the state $5.1 billion. Cook also noted that Alzheimer’s disproportionately affects women, as nearly 60% of caregivers are female and often face higher levels of burden, depression, and isolation compared to male counterparts. Additionally, he pointed out that Black Americans are about twice as likely and Hispanic Americans are nearly one and a half times more likely than their white counterparts to develop Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. The presentation concluded with an emphasis on the significant financial impact of Alzheimer’s disease on state resources, including Medicaid spending and Medicare costs. No votes were recorded in this portion of the transcript.