Several state legislatures are considering proposals that address everything from dementia research and education to wheelchair repair monopolies to cameras in senior living resident rooms.

Texas lawmakers are mulling a bill that would create a state research institute to study Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. SB 5 would establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to issue grants for research and encourage collaboration among universities, medical institutions and other experts. 

The institute, which author Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) called a “game changer,” would be modeled after the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas, formed in 2007 and considered the largest state-funded cancer research investment in US history, according to the institute. 

State Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) also put forward a joint resolution to add a constitutional amendment to the November ballot to fund the institute at $3 billion over the next decade. 

In Florida, SB 398 would require the state’s Department of Elderly Affairs to create an Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Program that would fund the first-ever statewide public health awareness campaign with $1.5 million.

Supported by the Florida chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the bill would require the campaign to cover early detection, risk reduction, brain health, recent research and community resources.

Ohio has announced the launch of its newly enhanced Ohio Long-Term Care Quality Navigator. The new name coincides with the addition of almost 800 assisted living communities to the navigator, on top of the nearly 930 nursing homes previously included.

The dashboard was developed at the recommendation of a governor-appointed task force led by the Ohio Department of Aging to improve long-term care throughout the state. 

“When it comes to Ohioans choosing where to get care for themselves or a loved one, the most important thing is making sure people are confident that they have all the data and knowledge they need to make an informed decision,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said in a statement. “By adding assisted living facilities to our navigator, we are now providing detailed information on over 1,700 long-term care facilities, all in one place.”

Also in Ohio, state Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) is pushing the state to join interstate licensure compacts — agreements that automatically license workers from member states. 

Ohio joined its first compact for psychologists in 2021. That one was followed by compacts for nurses, social workers, physical therapists, counselors, physician assistants and speech pathologists, among others.

The Consumer Wheelchair Repair Bill of Rights Act, S 4500, aims to address long repair wait times and limited consumer choice for powered wheelchair users in New York. 

The bill would require manufacturers to provide independent repair providers and wheelchair owners with the necessary parts, tools and documentation to conduct repairs in an effort to ensure a more competitive and accessible repair market.

A proposal targeting transparency in assisted living communities would give residents of assisted living communities and other long-term care residential settings the ability to place cameras in their room. Similar legislation failed to progress last year.

The senior living industry has opposed cameras in the past, saying they complicate the “delicate dance between maintaining security and respecting personal privacy.”

As of 2021, at least nine states had laws mandating that assisted living communities accommodate resident requests to install electronic monitoring equipment in their rooms: Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Utah. New Jersey also has a “Safe Care Cam” program that loans micro-surveillance equipment to healthcare consumers, including families of assisted living and nursing home residents.

Minnesota’s Long-Term Care Imperative — a partnership of Care Providers of Minnesota, which is the state affiliate of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, and LeadingAge Minnesota — is raising the alarm about a state budget forecast. The budget, they said, calls for cuts to critical support for older adults in order to address projected shortfalls.

The group is urging lawmakers to reject the proposal to “balance the budget on the backs of our seniors.” 

A bipartisan bill before the Colorado legislature would allow certain senior living communities to offer community-based programs and services to older adults waiting to move in.

Colorado has a handful of so-called life care institutions that serve as supportive living facilities to older adults who pay a one-time admission. Under current law, life care institutions provide life and health support services to residents with the help of independent living, assisted living or skilled nursing. HB25-1184 would allow the settings to provide community-based continuing care services to older adults in their homes while they await admission. 

”As the demand for senior living facilities increases, we’re creating more options for older Coloradans on the waiting list so that they may access the programs and services offered by the facility,” Rep. Amy Paschal (D-Colorado Springs) said in a statement. “This bill gives communities another option for older Coloradans to access community-based services that help them lead healthier, stronger lives.”

Nebraska would join Florida in expanding protections on genetic information with the passage of Legislative Bill 338. The bill would shield that information from being used to limit, deny or set higher premium rates for such coverage.

Modeled after a Florida law passed in 2020, the Nebraska bill would not allow someone’s genetic information to be used by long-term care, disability or life insurers if the person seeking coverage has a specific clinical diagnosis. It would not prevent insurers from asking about someone’s family history or reviewing a person’s medical record, which might include someone’s genetic test results.