Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill aimed at boosting efforts by doctors and other health care providers to detect Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in patients.
Lawmakers unanimously passed the bill (SB 806) during the legislative session that ended in March.
The law directs the Florida Department of Health, through existing programs, to educate health care providers about issues such as the importance of early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and the use of validated cognitive-assessment tools.
“For years it has been thought that memory loss is an inevitable fact of aging. While there are changes to the brain as we age, those with Alzheimer's disease are facing a uniquely challenging illness and deserve to be diagnosed as early as possible and supported fully,” Rosemary Laird, a Tampa-based geriatrician and member of the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee, said in a statement released Thursday by the Alzheimer’s Association, which supported the bill.
