Faced with an aging population and growing reliance on caregivers, New Mexico is making a new plan to address dementia and brain health through 2031.
The state Aging and Long-Term Services Department is accepting public comments until June 23 on its updated dementia road map, a five-year plan intended to guide initiatives for residents with dementia and their caregivers.
The plan overhaul comes at a critical time: 1 in 5 New Mexicans age 45 and older reported experiencing cognitive decline, including memory issues and difficulty thinking, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 1 in 5 of the state’s residents already serve as a caregiver for someone with a disability or health problem.
Meanwhile, New Mexico’s over-65 population grew nearly 40% between 2010 and 2019, outpacing the rest of the nation. That trend is poised to continue — and increase demand for dementia care.
“It means that there’s a greater need for services and supports for not only the people living with dementia but also the caregivers who are supporting them,” said Angelina Flores-Montoya, deputy Cabinet secretary of the state aging department.
Aging and memory care advocates are hopeful the state’s updated road map will turn into action for people with dementia and their caregivers. The draft plan shows an “awareness of what’s needed,” said David Davis, founder and executive director of the Santa Fe-based Memory Care Alliance.
‘Taking care of their family’
Marisol Atkins described her father, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019, as a “unique fellow.”
Arnold Atkins grew up in Los Alamos and Española before leaving New Mexico to pursue a career as a surgeon. He returned to the state in 1999 and took full advantage of New Mexico’s natural beauty as an avid hunter, hiker and fisherman.
Marisol Atkins served as her father’s primary caregiver for nearly seven years until his death in April at age 83.
It’s a common story in New Mexico. About 46,000 people in the state have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, according to data from the Alzheimer’s Association.
But the true reach of dementia in New Mexico is much broader. About half of people with Alzheimer’s never get formally diagnosed with the disease, said Jim Herlihy, the Alzheimer’s Association’s spokesperson for the Rocky Mountain and Southwest region.
Several conditions other than Alzheimer’s disease can also cause dementia, Davis added. He estimated the true number of people with dementia in the state is three or four times the 46,000 people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
The effects of dementia ripple out to more than 68,000 unpaid caregivers throughout the state, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. In total, they provide about 119 million hours of unpaid care annually, worth $2.4 billion.
“What we find is most caregivers don’t even necessarily identify as caregivers,” said Flores-Montoya with the state aging department. “They don’t even know that this is what they’re doing; this is what they do every day, just taking care of their family.”
But constant caring for others takes a toll on the caregiver, too. Nearly a third of New Mexico caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s disease reported having depression, while nearly two-thirds reported having another chronic disease, data from the CDC shows.
For Marisol Atkins, caring for her father represented a major time and financial commitment. While her dad could groom himself on his own, he required consistent monitoring in the kitchen, online and on the phone — his condition made him susceptible to scams. Marisol Atkins said she wasn’t able to work at all in 2024 because of her caregiving responsibilities.
Caregivers have to take care of themselves, too, Davis said. The Memory Care Alliance offers several programs to help them accomplish that goal, like regular caregiver support groups, training sessions, social events and even field trips for caregivers and the people in their care.
“Those people who don’t get help, those people who don’t have a plan and don’t take care of themselves, that becomes what we call self-neglect,” Davis said. “And unfortunately, invariably, that turns into neglect or even abuse of the person they’re caring for, intentional or not.”
The Memory Care Alliance’s programs were an “invaluable resource,” Marisol Atkins said.
“Having a place for caregivers to be with other caregivers is just critical,” she said. “Having a support place where you don’t have to explain the challenges you’re faced with is huge.”
Road map to dementia care
Once finalized, the state’s draft dementia plan will serve as a “road map” for addressing dementia and advancing brain health in New Mexico through 2031, Flores-Montoya said.
The plan includes five major goals — to advance public education and awareness, to better support caregivers, to establish sustainable policies, to further direct services for people with dementia and to strengthen the caregiving workforce — plus a series of specific objectives to accomplish each goal.
Key objectives in the road map include state-supported public awareness campaigns, increasing caregiver training program participation and use of financial assistance, developing at least two dementia-specific professional certification or credentialing pathways, and advancing at least two policy initiatives to sustain dementia services in the long term.
The agency’s “direct services objectives” outline some of the next steps for improving dementia care in the state. The road map tasks the aging department with supporting the opening of at least three new or expanded dementia-capable residential care facilities, in addition to establishing two pilot programs to improve access to care and expanding telehealth options for dementia-related specialty care, like neurology, psychiatry and geriatrics.
By 2031, the goal is to improve the services available to people with dementia and their caregivers — in all 33 New Mexico counties, Flores-Montoya said.
“When people reach out and say, ‘I need help in this county,’ we are able to provide them with the help that they need in that county, whether that be respite, meals, transportation, training, whatever that may be,” she said.
State’s effort ‘encouraging’
Previous versions of the plan have brought about significant change. The state’s last dementia plan helped bring about the adoption of the Silver Alert, a warning system that warns the public of missing seniors experiencing cognitive decline.
Advocates are hopeful the new roadmap might bring about similar changes.
Herlihy with the Alzheimer’s Association said it’s “certainly encouraging” to see the state taking a long-term approach to the issue. Many of the key pillars of the road map — including its emphasis on public education and caregiver supports — match the association’s efforts, he said.
Davis described the Memory Care Alliance’s relationship with the state aging department as that of an old married couple.
“We work it out,” he said. “We were promised things that didn’t happen. We promised things that we weren’t able to fulfill, but we keep going.”
From Davis’ perspective, the road map is a sign of action from the state agency and Aging Secretary Emily Kaltenbach.
“I think this is leadership from Secretary Kaltenbach and her staff to actually do something and not just talk,” he said.
