Recognizing the need to coordinate and integrate services for older adults and people with disabilities, Tennessee has created a new Department of Aging and Disability to provide more strategic planning and coordination of services.

The new department, formed when Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed SB 2098 into law recently, merging the Commission on Aging and Disability and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities into one department. The new department also will house the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

The new department will be responsible for planning, development and coordinating public and private efforts to meet the growing needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Proponents said the new department is an important step in improving the statewide response to Alzheimer’s disease and ensuring that Alzheimer’s and other dementias are prioritized across state agencies and addressed as a public health crisis. Combining the two departments also offers opportunities for administrative efficiencies, more consistent policy and practice, inclusivity, and better planning and communication, they said.

The new law also creates the Alzheimer’s and dementia respite care pilot program to provide home- and community-based services through grants to Area Agencies on Aging and Disability throughout the state. In addition, it creates an Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Advisory Council to devise a state plan for Alzheimer’s by Jan. 15, 2027, with updates expected every three years.

The Tennessee Health Care Association / Tennessee Center for Assisted Living said that the 65-and-older population is the state’s fastest-growing demographic, and steps must be taken to ensure resources are in place to serve those older adults. 

“By merging the Tennessee Commission on Aging with the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the state is creating a cabinet-level agency that will be responsible for better coordination and delivery of services,” THCA/TNCAL Executive Director Jesse Samples told McKnight’s Senior Living. “We are encouraged by the reaction of the Department of Disability and Aging and hope that the array of services at various levels of the care continuum are advocated for and supported to ensure the highest level of services to all Tennesseans.”

Samples added that THCA/TCAL supports enhanced coordination, advocacy and resources for older adults and those with disabilities. The association also is a strong advocate for individuals’ opportunities “to live and age with as much independence as possible, while also preserving choices of where and how they receive services,” she said.

The changes go into effect July 1.