Dept. of Elder Affairs designates Tallahassee as first Dementia Caring Community in Fla.

Leon County and the City of Tallahassee are the first Dementia Caring Community in Florida, under a new designation in April 2016 by Sam Verghese, Secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs.

According to Verghese, the initiative stems from the fact that Florida has the second highest incidence of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. The community is part of the Department’s Dementia Care and Cure Initiative and will support individuals and families affected by the disease.

The department and city are currently in the process of creating a community work plan to take action at a local level. The city will work to achieve several goals for the Alzheimer’s and Dementia community through “awareness, assistance, and advocacy,” according to Verghese.

This announcement also comes with the news that the governor appointed four people to the Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee.  Three of the appointees will serve three-year terms and one will serve a two-year term.