BILL ANALYSIS
AB 528
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 528 (Mullin)
As Amended May 1, 2003
Majority vote
HUMAN SERVICES 5-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Wolk, Dutra, Lieber, |Ayes:|Steinberg, Berg, |
| |Ridley-Thomas, Mullin | |Calderon, Montanez, |
| | | |Correa, Diaz, Firebaugh, |
| | | |Goldberg, Leno, Nation, |
| | | |Negrete McLeod, Nunez, |
| | | |Pavley, Ridley-Thomas, |
| | | |Simitian, Wiggins, Yee |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Encourages Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly
(RCFEs) to create programs and activities to mitigate the
effects of sundown syndrome. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes findings and declarations relating to Alzheimer's
disease and related disorders.
2)Defines "Sundown syndrome" as "recurring confusion and
increasing levels of agitation that coincide with the onset of
late afternoon and early evening."
3)Requires the State Department of Social Services (DSS) to
"encourage residential care facilities for the elderly that
serve Alzheimer's patients to create activities and programs
that are designed to decrease the effects of sundown syndrome
by creating more activities in the late afternoon and evening
hours."
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides for the licensure and regulation of RCFEs by DSS.
2)Establishes the Alzheimer's Disease Program, administered by
the Department of Health Services (DHS), which oversees ten
Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers of California (ARDCC) at
university medical centers throughout California, for the
purpose of research into the causes, treatment, cures, coping
strategies, prevention, incidence, and prevalence of
AB 528
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Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
3)Establishes the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
Research Fund, administered by DHS, and establishes a tax
check-off option on the State Income Tax return to permit
Californians to make contributions.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee Analysis, minor absorbable costs to DSS to request
that RCFEs emphasize or increase certain kinds of activities.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "'Sundown syndrome' is
defined as a syndrome of recurring confusion and increasing
levels of agitation, which coincide with the onset of late
afternoon and early evening. It is commonly associated with
patients suffering from dementia, commonly, Alzheimer's
patients. While the exact cause of sundown syndrome is not
known, experts believe there are several contributing factors.
These include physical and mental exhaustion (after a long day),
and a shift in the 'internal body clock' caused by the change
from daylight to dark. Some people with Alzheimer's disease
have trouble sleeping at night, which may contribute to their
disorientation. Sundown syndrome can be draining for the person
with Alzheimer's disease and his or her caregivers."
Enhancing the care of the elderly : Representatives of
caregivers support this bill, applauding the authors effort to
"provide better services for elders that reside in residential
care facilities." Social workers practicing in this area note
that caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease or other forms
of dementia can be a particularly distressful experience,
especially when the caregiver is confronted with agitated or
anxious behaviors. Unlike purely physiological ailments,
dementia is experienced by many as behaviors within a social
context, which a caregiver may react to with feelings of
frustration, hurt, anger, or insult. This bill encourages
discussion of some behaviors associated with Alzheimer's disease
and other dementia in the context of the disease itself. By
framing the discussion in this manner, and by exploring
strategies that mitigate distressful behaviors, caregivers can
become better equipped to care for those with dementia, and the
elderly can benefit from such interventions.
Analysis Prepared by : John Boisa / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089
AB 528
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