STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Senator RONALD L. RICE
District 28 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Vitale, Whelan, Doherty, Pou, Connors, Bateman, Sweeney, Madden, Allen, Addiego and Singer
SYNOPSIS
Establishes requirements for training programs for homemaker-home health aides in care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning homemaker-home health aides and supplementing P.L.1947, c.262 (C.45:11-23 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The standards and curricula for the homemaker-home health aide education and training programs specified in subsection d. of section 2 of P.L.1947, c.262 (C.45:11-24), may include comprehensive training in the specialized care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders who receive services from a homemaker-home health aide as defined in section 1 of P.L.1947, c.262 (C.45:11-23). A training program established under this subsection shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) the causes and progression of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders; and
(2) the methods to deal with the specific problems encountered in the care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, including, but not limited to: communicating with patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders; the psychological, social, and physical needs of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders; and safety measures which need to be taken for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
b. Any person who is certified or who applies for certification as a homemaker-home health aide may complete a training and education program in the specialized care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders established pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
c. As used in this section, “Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders” means forms of dementia characterized by a general loss of intellectual abilities of sufficient severity to interfere with social or occupational functioning.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of January of the year next following the date of enactment, except the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety and the New Jersey Board of Nursing may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill revises the current law to provide that the standards and curricula for homemaker-home health aide education and training may include comprehensive training in the specialized care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders who receive services from a homemaker-home health aide. Participation in a training program established under the bill will be optional.
Training programs established under the bill will be similar to those required by P.L.2003, c.269 (C.26:2M-7.2) for direct-care staff in long-term care facilities, and will include training in the causes and progression of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders and methods to deal with the specific problems encountered in the care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Specifically, the methods will include: 1) communicating with patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders; 2) training concerning the psychological, social, and physical needs of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders; and 3) safety measures which need to be taken for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.