NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Thousands of Tennesseans are battling Alzheimer's.
And caring for them can be costly for families — both financially and emotionally.
However, a little relief is on the way.
Gov. Bill Lee signed the Col. Thomas G. Bowden Memorial Act into law Friday in a bill signing ceremony.
Bowden was a Tennessee native with a dedicated 26 years of service to the United States Army as a commander of more than 900 soldiers.
His last battle was with Alzheimer's disease.
"Tom was a retired Army colonel in the field artillery. A father, a grandfather, an uncle, a brother," said Barbara Bowden.
Unfortunately, 10 years ago, Col. Bowden was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's and passed away in 2018 at the age of 68.
This legislation creates a three-year pilot program to provide home and community-based respite care to Tennesseans living with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their caregivers.
The pilot program will provide support and immediate relief, allowing 12 hours of respite care per month for 150 families.
Respite care is when a trained professional comes in to take care of a patient while their caregiver gets some time away.
"A caregiver these few hours that they are getting from this bill, and it's essential, and it also does and how it benefits the state is it helps keep this person with Alzheimer's or other dementia at home longer. So, this saves the state's money," Bowden.
During that time, the state would determine if respite care can save the state money by keeping patients with their families instead in a facility where the state may have to cover the cost.
"The important thing about it is that this bill will help other people. And there are so many people that have been instrumental in getting this bill passed," Bowden said. "We started three years ago and advocates have stuck with this bill. We are hopeful that it will help everybody 120,000 Tennesseans who are living with Alzheimer's."
Currently, more than 120,000 people in Tennessee are living with Alzheimer’s or other related dementia with an estimated 361,000 family members serving as caregivers providing more than 500 million hours of unpaid care annually.
During that time, the state would determine if respite care can save the state money by keeping patients with their families instead in a facility where the state may have to cover the cost.
