The state has just over $300,000 in grant money for Alzheimer’s caregivers to cover their absence when they need a break to recharge. A bill likely headed to the governor’s desk would expand the “respite” grant program to family caregivers whose loved one does not have an Alzheimer’s or other dementia diagnosis but shows similar symptoms that interfere with their daily living.
Sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers, Senate Bill 414 would expand the definition of Alzheimer’s to include “symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or a similar irreversible dementia” that interfere with activities like eating, dressing, and mobility.
The bill’s advocates say the measure is meant to aid families whose loved one has not yet received a diagnosis but has caregiving needs that are similar to those with a diagnosis. They told lawmakers getting diagnosed can be hard: It is a long process dependent on access to medical care and willingness to acknowledge declining cognitive function.
The bill cleared the Senate in February and this week got a unanimous “ought to pass” recommendation from the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee. It next heads to the full House.
There are an estimated 26,000 people living with Alzheimer’s in New Hampshire and nearly 57,000 family members caring for them, according to MacKenzie Nicholson, public policy manager for the Alzheimer’s Association chapter in New Hampshire. She said the association has no way to estimate how many additional caregivers would become eligible for a respite grant if SB 414 passes. The family member must be providing care full time.
Caregivers can use the grants, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau for Elderly and Adult Services, to pay for temporary in-home care; a stay at an assisted-living facility; access to an adult daycare center; or light housekeeping.
Approximately 230 people received respite grants in the most recent fiscal year, Bureau Chief Wendi Aultman told a Senate committee earlier this year. Grants are currently capped at $1,500. They plan to use about $120,000 a year in federal American Rescue Plan money to increase that to $2,500. That funding is available through 2023.
The department’s website does not have a link to a grant application. Aultman told the House committee Tuesday that the state receives referrals from medical providers, senior centers, adult day programs, and the Alzheimer’s Association.