Sharon Wright is on ASEB’s Board of Directors. Read her full bio here.
I don’t get to Sacramento frequently enough to enjoy the swirl of birds over the wetlands on the drive up or the beautiful buildings in our capitol, but on March 4th, I had such a chance to represent ASEB along with fellow board member Shaun Charles and international leadership intern Burcu Kilinc. Like a huge flock festooned with purple ribbon sashes bearing the words “Alzheimer’s Association,” 190 advocates from all over California gathered in the ballroom of the monumental Elks Tower, just a few blocks from the state capitol.
We listened to experts speaking on various Alzheimer’s topics–updates, testimonies, and legislative changes being proposed–and then organized in groups of 5 or 6 to meet with legislative assistants of state senators and assembly men and women. I listened to the stories of wives and husbands who cared for their spouses and were so thankful they had a service like ASEB. One of the participants hugged me when he learned I was with ASEB!
This annual event was different from most in that the advocacy was focused on positive legislation, not budget cuts.
We visited the offices of Assembly Member Nancy Skinner and Senator Loni Hancock. Both of their aides were glad to see us and seemed positively inclined towards the legislative proposals summarized below.
The first was AB1552 sponsored by Lowenthal (D-Long Beach). This is important for ASEB as it supports Community-Based Adult Service (CBAS) or funding for Adult Day Health cCare. This proposal extends CBAS program beyond August 2014 (when the Med-Cal waiver expires). It would then fall under California’s Coordinated Care Initiative. Of course we are in support of this measure.
The second proposed legislation was SB 940 by Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). This is to adopt the Uniform Adult Guardianship & Protective Proceedings Act (UAGPPA). 39 states have adopted this to help seniors transfer guardianship from one state to another and streamline conservatorship. It was studied in detail by a commission of lawyers and judges for two and a half years.
Lastly, there was AB 1570 sponsored by Assemblyman Wes Chesbro (D-Santa Rosa) to expand the amount of training needed for caregivers of Residential Treatment Centers and for certification of administrators. Basically, it doubles the amount of training they will receive on dementia.
As one of the speakers, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Dr. Lou Bordisso said, we should hold out our arms and embrace the challenge to help those who need our support. He paraphrased a quote: “If we are not at the table of advocacy, we might be on the menu!” ASEB was at the table!