BILL NUMBER: AB 528 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
CHAPTER 383
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 17, 2003
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 16, 2003
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 2, 2003
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 27, 2003
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 20, 2003
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 22, 2003
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 11, 2003
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 1, 2003
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 27, 2003
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mullin
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Berg, Goldberg, and Steinberg)
FEBRUARY 18, 2003
An act to amend Section 1569.2 of, and to add Section 1569.7 to,
the Health and Safety Code, relating to Alzheimer's disease.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 528, Mullin. Alzheimer's disease: dementia: residential care
facilities for the elderly.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of
residential care facilities for the elderly by the State Department
of Social Services. Existing law requires the director of the
department to adopt regulations for these facilities.
This bill would provide that residential care facilities for the
elderly that serve residents with Alzheimer's disease and other forms
of dementia should include information on sundowning as part of the
training for direct care staff, and should include in the plan of
operation a description explaining activities that are available for
residents to decrease the effects of sundowning, including, but not
limited to, increasing outdoor activities in appropriate weather
conditions. This bill would define sundowning to mean a condition in
which persons with cognitive impairment experience recurring
confusion, disorientation, and increasing levels of agitation that
coincide with the onset of late afternoon and early evening.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a) Alzheimer's disease is a devastating disease that destroys
certain vital cells of the brain, and affects more than 1,500,000
Americans.
(b) Alzheimer's disease and related disorders are responsible for
50 percent of all nursing home admissions and Alzheimer's disease is
the fourth leading cause of death in adults.
(c) Alzheimer's disease has serious emotional, financial, and
social consequences for its victims and their families.
(d) It is important to provide for the best quality of life for
those affected by this disease by providing activities that are
adapted for the unique needs of persons with Alzheimer's disease and
other forms of dementia, including activities designed to decrease
the effects of sundowning. With less light, these individuals may
lose visual clues that help them compensate for their sensory
impairments.
SEC. 2. Section 1569.2 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to
read:
1569.2. As used in this chapter:
(a) "Administrator" means the individual designated by the
licensee to act on behalf of the licensee in the overall management
of the facility. The licensee, if an individual, and the
administrator may be one and the same person.
(b) "Care and supervision" means the facility assumes
responsibility for, or provides or promises to provide in the future,
ongoing assistance with activities of daily living without which the
resident's physical health, mental health, safety, or welfare would
be endangered. Assistance includes assistance with taking
medications, money management, or personal care.
(c) "Department" means the State Department of Social Services.
(d) "Director" means the Director of Social Services.
(e) "Health-related services" mean services that shall be directly
provided by an appropriate skilled professional, including a
registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, physical therapist, or
occupational therapist.
(f) "Instrumental activities of daily living" means any of the
following: housework, meals, laundry, taking of medication, money
management, appropriate transportation, correspondence, telephoning,
and related tasks.
(g) "License" means a basic permit to operate a residential care
facility for the elderly.
(h) "Personal activities of daily living" means any of the
following: dressing, feeding, toileting, bathing, grooming, and
mobility and associated tasks.
(i) "Personal care" means assistance with personal activities of
daily living, to help provide for and maintain physical and
psychosocial comfort.
(j) "Protective supervision" means observing and assisting
confused residents, including persons with dementia, to safeguard
them against injury.
(k) "Residential care facility for the elderly" means a housing
arrangement chosen voluntarily by persons 60 years of age or over, or
their authorized representative, where varying levels and
intensities of care and supervision, protective supervision, or
personal care are provided, based upon their varying needs, as
determined in order to be admitted and to remain in the facility.
Persons under 60 years of age with compatible needs may be allowed to
be admitted or retained in a residential care facility for the
elderly as specified in Section 1569.316.
This subdivision shall be operative only until the enactment of
legislation implementing the three levels of care in residential care
facilities for the elderly pursuant to Section 1569.70.
(l) "Residential care facility for the elderly" means a housing
arrangement chosen voluntarily by persons 60 years of age or over, or
their authorized representative, where varying levels and
intensities of care and supervision, protective supervision, personal
care, or health-related services are provided, based upon their
varying needs, as determined in order to be admitted and to remain in
the facility. Persons under 60 years of age with compatible needs
may be allowed to be admitted or retained in a residential care
facility for the elderly as specified in Section 1569.316.
This subdivision shall become operative upon the enactment of
legislation implementing the three levels of care in residential care
facilities for the elderly pursuant to Section 1569.70.
(m) "Sundowning" means a condition in which persons with cognitive
impairment experience recurring confusion, disorientation, and
increasing levels of agitation that coincide with the onset of late
afternoon and early evening.
(n) "Supportive services" means resources available to the
resident in the community that help to maintain their functional
ability and meet their needs as identified in the individual resident
assessment. Supportive services may include any of the following:
medical, dental, and other health care services; transportation;
recreational and leisure activities; social services; and counseling
services.
SEC. 3. Section 1569.7 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to
read:
1569.7. Residential care facilities for the elderly that serve
residents with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia should
include information on sundowning as part of the training for direct
care staff, and should include in the plan of operation a brief
narrative description explaining activities available for residents
to decrease the effects of sundowning, including, but not limited to,
increasing outdoor activities in appropriate weather conditions.