New Mexico state aging agency requests public input on five-year dementia care plan

New Mexico’s Aging and Long-Term Services Department will host several input sessions throughout June on its draft five-year plan concerning the state’s response to dementia care and caregivers.

The draft plan, New Mexico Roadmap to Address Dementia and Brain Health 2026-2031, identifies five priority areas: expanding public education and promoting early detection; increasing caregiving supports; advancing related state policies; strengthening direct services throughout the state; and bolstering dementia-capable workforce. According to the draft, the plan will be in effect from July 2026 through December 2031.

The draft notes that as of 2020, 46,000 New Mexicans aged 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s disease, which was the eighth leading cause of death in the state in 2023.

“New Mexico’s population is aging rapidly, and more families across our state are navigating the realities of dementia,” ALTSD Deputy Secretary Angelina Flores-Montoya said in a statement. “This roadmap is about building a stronger New Mexico where people can access resources earlier and communities across every region of the state are better supported.”

The document states that this latest plan is intended to “strengthen and expand” the aging department’s work and highlighted the implementation of the state’s Silver Alert as one major accomplishment of the previous dementia care plan.

Several of the action items listed in the current draft include developing a standardized resource toolkit for health care providers and organizations following a dementia diagnosis; working with partner organizations to increase referrals for dementia screening, care navigation and caregiver support by June 2028; expanding access to relief services for caregivers by December 2027; incorporating Parkinson’s disease into dementia-related policies and guidance; increasing the number of providers equipped to treat complex dementia-related conditions by December 2031; and collaborating with the Department of Workforce Solutions and other partners to incentivize dementia-specific training and certification by December 2031.

The aging department will host several virtual input sessions and a final in-person session at the Multigenerational Center in Albuquerque on June 22 for New Mexicans to provide feedback. People can also submit feedback online through June 23.