People are being diagnosed with dementia earlier and more often as the population ages, according to the most recent facts and figures from the Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter.
The new report shows prevalence, disease-related deaths and cost of caring for those living with Alzheimer’s disease, one of the diseases of dementia that affects cognitive ability, memory and behavior, are rising across the country, and, in Georgia, there are 188,300 people aged 65 and older who are living with Alzheimer’s.
That’s why the Georgia association’s executive director, Nancy Pitra, said the Georgia chapter created a bill aimed at adding more in-depth training for law enforcement and first responders to keep themselves safe as well as the people they’re responding to in the community.
- PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Proposed bill aims to better serve Georgia’s growing aging population during police calls
Now that House Bill 238 has passed, Pitra said the group is partnering with state law enforcement on curriculum for Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) certification.
“Georgia sees Alzheimer’s and dementia as a priority for all of our first responders, and we’re gonna put something in place that’s gonna ensure they have the proper training around those topics,” Pitra said.
POST certification already included training on elder abuse and missing persons cases, but now, law enforcement and first responders in Georgia will learn more about dementia, including issues like wandering.
Training for those responding to individuals with Alzheimer’s and related diseases of dementia includes recognizing not only the signs of dementia but also the type of dementia.
For example, someone with frontal temporal dementia may experience poor impulse control, but still remember things, Pitra said.
“So, how [people with frontal temporal dementia] may look and act when law enforcement pulls them over when they’re driving, may be different than someone with Alzheimer’s who just has, you know, kind of lost their train of thought or is having a cognitive problem at the time,” she said.
Police and emergency medical workers will learn techniques to respond to individuals who might be in a fragile or agitated state requiring patience and specific resources that don’t include restraints.
_____
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
