Alzheimer’s Bill passes the Senate STATEHOUSE – House Bill (HB) 1044, authored by Rep. Bill Friend (R-Macy) and co-authored by Reps. Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) and Mike Speedy (R-Indianapolis), passed out of the Senate this week with a unanimous vote and will be sent to Governor Pence to be signed into law. HB 1044 requires the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy to provide training regarding persons with Alzheimer's disease or related senile dementia and missing high-risk adults. This training will be added to the yearly, mandatory in-service training program. Officers currently go through training on autism, mental illness, addictive disorders, mental retardation and developmental disabilities. “Ensuring that law enforcement officers are well-equipped to correctly handle almost any situation is the key focus of this legislation,” said Rep. Karickhoff. “Folks with dementia deserve to be treated with the same respect and care as everyone else. Having a standard of how to react in stressful situations with Alzheimer’s sufferers could potentially save lives.” The Alzheimer’s Association reported in 2012 that the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is projected to double by 2050, making the reality of this problem even more apparent. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia with more than 5 million Americans living with the disease. In 2010, more than 120,000 Hoosiers 65 and older were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to reach 130,000 by 2025. For more information regarding HB 1044, please visit www.in.gov/legislative. -30-
State Rep. Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) serves on the Ways and Means Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. He is also the Chairman of the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Rep. Karickhoff represents portions of Howard and Grant counties, most of the city of Kokomo and the towns of Swayzee and Greentown.
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