Bill requires dementia training for police, EMS

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The Ohio legislature has passed a bill requiring police officers and emergency medical service personnel to undergo training on identifying and interacting with persons with dementia.
Under House Bill 23, the attorney general will consult with the Ohio Department of Aging to develop rules covering the training, which is to include:
-Identifying individuals with dementia
-Techniques for respectful communication with such individuals
-Techniques for addressing behavioral symptoms
-Identifying and reporting abuse or neglect
-Protocols for contacting caregiver when an individual is found wandering or in an emergency
-Local resources available
During sponsor testimony before the House Commerce and Labor Committee, Representatives Phil Plummer and Thomas West noted that Ohio and the country are “in the midst of a significant demographic shift.”
Citing figures from the Alzheimer’s Association in Ohio, they said about 220,000 Ohioans live with Alzheimer’s or other dementias – a number that’s expected to grow 20 percent by 2030 as the population ages.
“In light of these trends, the COVID-19 pandemic has made matters even more difficult for Ohioans with dementia, particularly for those living without family or a caregiver,” they said. “There has never been a more important time for police and first responders to receive this training that during this crisis. The stakes are too high for our loved ones who suffer from this disease.”
South Carolina, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Florida have enacted similar legislation in the past decade.
The Peace Officer Training Commission is to offer guidance in determining the amount of dementia-related training for completing basic training and that which may be credited for continuing professional training.
The State Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services is required by the bill to adopt rules establishing the number of hours of dementia training to be completed by EMS personnel.
The Alzheimer’s Association in Ohio supported the bill.
Signs a person living with Alzheimer's or another dementia is at risk of wandering include returning from a regular walk or drive later than usual; forgetting how to get to familiar places; talking about fulfilling former obligations, such as going to work; trying or wanting to “go home,” even when they are at home; and having difficulty locating familiar places, such as the bathroom, bedroom or dining room. Individuals who are wandering typically have a destination or purpose — for instance, going to the bathroom or going to work — but disorientation can cause them to get lost.
“Wandering is dangerous at any time of the year, but especially during the winter, when it gets darker earlier and the cold increases the risk to your loved ones,” said Julia Faulkner Pechlivanos, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association Northwest Ohio Chapter.