Congress Passes Historic Alzheimer’s Bill

About Juliet Holt Klinger

Senior Director of Dementia Care

Juliet is a passionate advocate for people living with dementia and their families. She is deeply committed to improving the cultural acceptance of those with cognitive differences. As our gerontologist and Senior Director of Dementia Care, Juliet develops person-centered care and programming for Brookdale’s dementia care communities. But if you ask her, Juliet says she continues to learn every day from the true experts, those living with dementia and their care partners. Juliet believes we need to move beyond the concept of caregiving, which implies a one-sided relationship, and embrace the idea of care partnering. Care partnering is about relationships built on cooperation—a two-way street promoting person-centered care and mutual feelings of purpose, where the person living with dementia also plays a strong role in shaping their care and daily routine. We are here to partner, learn and grow with our residents and families to make aging a better experience. After volunteering in nursing homes in high school, Juliet knew she wanted to work with older adults. While working on her bachelor’s degree in social work at the University of Iowa, she completed an Aging Studies Certificate program, before there were formal gerontology programs available. At Iowa, Juliet also had the chance to study with pioneers in the field of dementia care, an opportunity that shaped her passion for caring for those living with dementia. Trained as a gerontologist, with a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, Juliet joined Brookdale in 2004. She is a seasoned senior living executive with more than 30 years of experience designing and executing innovative Alzheimer's and dementia care programs and living environments in both assisted living and skilled settings.

This week the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Bill passed in the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate had already approved it so this legislation will soon be signed into law. It is a game changer as it addresses Alzheimer’s as a public health issue. This bill will have a direct impact on the lives of the over five million Americans and their families living with this disease.

The bill authorizes $100 million in funding over the next five years to fight the Alzheimer’s epidemic. Annually, $20 million will be spent on three main components:

Establishing Alzheimer’s Centers of Excellence that will increase education and promote effective Alzheimer’s and caregiving interventions. The priorities of these interventions include early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk, preventing hospitalizations and supporting the needs of caregivers.
Funding for public health departments to educate and implement effective interventions on the larger public health platform that will directly benefit and be evident at the state and local community levels.
These initiatives will increase data collection, analysis and timely reporting of Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving and other health disparities.

We are celebrating the victory at Brookdale, not only for our industry and the residents and families we serve, but for the passion we’ve put in to getting this bill passed. We took action with the American Senior Housing Association (ASHA) and lobbied to officials on behalf of the people we serve. Our team also wrote letters to our representatives asking for support.

It’s been a banner year for Alzheimer’s legislation. In addition to the BOLD Act, Congress passed the RAISE Family Caregiver Act in January. It is inspiring to see the unity between advocates, including people living with dementia and the Alzheimer’s bipartisan champions in Congress. Together we are changing the trajectory of this disease. As it is often noted, Alzheimer’s isn’t a blue or red issue; it’s a purple issue. You can truly feel the synergy with that commitment as we charge Capitol Hill every year.