COLUMBIA, S.C. — Taylor Wilson’s grandmother suffered from dementia.
“I took care of her,” Wilson said. “And when she forgot who I was I said ‘it's okay, I remember who I am and I love you.’ And when she died I promised her that I would do everything in my power so that she would know that her granddaughter made sure that no other granddaughter had to say goodbye that way.”
Now, Wilson works for the SC Alzheimer's Association in her grandmother’s memory.
The association is one of the key players behind South Carolina's Statewide Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.
“This is the first step in making a big change and keeping my promise,” Wilson said.
Advocates and politicians gathered today for a ceremonial signing of a bill that requires a council to use input from state agencies to create and maintain this comprehensive, statewide plan.
“We're going to be able to see the gaps in services and know who we need to recruit and how we need to recruit them,” Wilson said. “Things like an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center will help us recruit neurologists with a specialized field in dementia. We’ll be able to recruit geriatricians, because we have a special part of the state plan that is about focusing on workforce pipeline.”
The plan hadn’t been updated since 2009 before this year. It’s based on their goals of risk reduction, early detection and diagnosis, high-quality services, and a coordinated and equitable level of care.
“How do we encourage and empower early career researchers from an undergraduate level to get excited about dementia science?" Wilson asked. “How do we get into CNA programs? How do we work with technical colleges from literally the ground up? How do we help provide education for dementia-capable workforce and turn a pipeline into Niagara Falls? And so that's part of this state plan as well.”
Along with the plan, this means there's a specific council focused on research and resources for those struggling with Alzheimer's and dementias and their families.
“The players and the partners that are at the table, we work together on a weekly, monthly basis,” said Connie Munn. “I think that the most important part to this is that we all have to be here together. We're all on the same page and we have a vision together to push this state plan forward.”
Munn is the agency director of the state Department on Aging. She says one main focus is on providing resources for caregivers, who often work around-the-clock keeping Alzheimer's and dementia patients safe.
“I had a father-in-law who had dementia,” Munn said. “And so we helped care for him when he was at home and I think that was a huge impact for me to realize the impact that it has on the family members to have a loved one suffering from dementia.”
The advisory council has to annually update the governor and general assembly to track the plan’s progress and update the plan itself every five years.
