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Macron interrupts Trump, clarifies how Europe gave money to Ukraine; Trump administration faces lawsuits over oil and gas drilling; Delays in public EV chargers put NH tourism revenue at risk; Southern WV residents demand lawmakers address ongoing water crisis.

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Federal employee performance reviews face a confusing moment, Congress debates voting rights, consumer advocates push to reinstate the CFPB, Canadian and Mexican import tariffs raise economic concerns, and environmental groups fight offshore drilling.

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The Taos County Sheriff says he won't conduct raids or round ups of immigrants, New Hampshire worries a dearth of charging stations will force tourists driving EVs to pick another vacation destination, and Southern states improve education with workarounds.

Rural Iowa 'critically short' of dementia services

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Thursday, January 30, 2025   

Families of rural Iowans with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia face a crucial lack of mental health services and advocates are meeting with some rural residents today to assess their most important needs.

Iowa has only 26 geriatricians practicing in the state. The Alzheimer's Association said the state needs at least four times as many to meet the growing demand by 2050, and 32% more direct care workers for dementia patients by 2030.

Lauren Livingston, communications director for the Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, said the current provider shortage falls most heavily on rural Iowa, which has been declared a dementia care "desert."

"Most rural communities are unfortunately not lucky enough to have even a neurologist that is specialized in Alzheimer's disease and can help diagnose," Livingston pointed out. "Even with that first step of diagnosis, there isn't anywhere to even get a referral to a doctor who would know how to diagnose it or what the next steps were."

The Alzheimer's Association said 11% of Iowans age 65 and older are living with the disease. Today's online forum is designed to hear from affected rural residents about their most pressing concerns.

Livingston noted they hope to get good information from rural health care providers, families and caregivers about the types of support services missing in their communities.

"Then from there, we want to be able to put together more of a plan of how we can help in these rural communities and close that gap," Livingston emphasized.

Roughly 62,000 Iowans live with Alzheimer's disease, and another 100,000 are unpaid family caregivers. AARP Iowa is pushing for a measure in the state legislature to offer them a tax credit to help offset their out-of-pocket care expenses.


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