About the Issue
The Alzheimer’s Resource Coordination Center (ARCC), located within the South Carolina Department on Aging, was established by state legislation in 1994. The Center’s goal is to serve as a statewide focal point for coordination, service development, information, and education to assist persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their families.
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that in 2030, South Carolina will be home to 1.1 million people over the age of 65, potentially propelling South Carolina to a ranking of 15th in the nation for the highest percentage of elderly residents. Increasing age is a leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, and South Carolina’s rapidly growing older population presents a challenge to families, communities and those who plan and deliver services for the state.
Source: 2021 Annual Report: South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Registry, USC, Office for the Study of Aging.
Overview
95,000 South Carolinians are living with Alzheimer’s disease. ADRD affects 11% of the population of South Carolina aged 65 years and older and 51% of those over age 85. By 2025, the number of South Carolinians living with Alzheimer's disease is projected to grow to 120,000.
Source: 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report
Source: 2021 Annual Report: South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease Registry
In South Carolina, more than half of all adults providing unpaid care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s or another dementia have been doing so for at least two years. More than one-third of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers provide 20 or more hours of care per week.
Source: 2015 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System – SC Caregiver Module
Alzheimer’s Resource Coordination Center (ARCC) Grants
Each February, the Alzheimer’s Resource Coordination Center (ARCC) announces grant funding availability for the upcoming State Fiscal Year (July – June). Applications are accepted for (1) respite care programs or (2) educational programs and/or (3) innovative programs directed at the ADRD population.
The ARCC receives $150,000 of state appropriations each year to award Dementia specific grants for respite, education, or innovative programs for persons with ADRD, their families, and caregivers. Grants are awarded on a 2-year cycle. This is a competitive award of up to $20,000. This year a total of 18 grantees and their communities will benefit from the ARCC grants.
Successes
The SC Legislature has designated $150,000 for seed grants to be distributed by the ARCC each year. Grants awarded through the center assist local communities in developing programs to serve persons with dementia and their caregivers.
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) State Plan
South Carolina’s Department on Aging’s Alzheimer’s Resource Coordination Center’s (ARCC) Advisory Council served as the representative coalition for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s (DHEC) Division of Injury and Substance Abuse Prevention’s 2018 BOLD (Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s) Grant. The purpose of the BOLD Grant is to increase early detection and diagnosis, reduce risks, prevent avoidable hospitalizations and support dementia caregiving.
The Statewide Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias will provide a blueprint for care for persons living with ADRD in South Carolina from 2023-2028. The goal of the ARCC is to update this plan every five years to ensure the plan is up-to-date with changing treatments, resources, statistics and goals.
"A statewide response is critical to addressing the growing dementia crisis in South Carolina, and nearly every state agency has a vital role to play,” said Taylor Wilson, chair of the ARCC Advisory Council and Director of Government Affairs for the Alzheimer's Association, South Carolina Chapter. “The ripple effect of this disease is immense, touching upon public health and risk reduction, aging and caregiver support, access to health care, protection of vulnerable adults and workforce demands.
"The Alzheimer's Resource Coordination Center is honored to help bridge existing gaps, identify growing needs and better serve families facing Alzheimer's disease or any type of dementia."
ARCC Grant Packet
ADRD organizations, social service and health care provider agencies, denominational groups, aging service providers, educational institutions, and other local organizations. Applicants may be public, non-profit, or for-profit entities. Learn more about the ARCC Grant.
Alzheimer’s Resource Coordination Center (ARCC) Advisory Council
The ARCC Advisory Council is composed of Governor appointed members and is comprised of persons from agencies and organizations that have a special interest in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
What does the Advisory Council do?
- Initiate the development of systems which coordinate the delivery of programs and services
- Facilitate the coordination and integration of research, program development, planning and quality assurance
- Identify potential users of services and gaps in the service delivery system and expand methods and resources to enhance statewide services
- Serve as a resource for education, research and training and provide information and referral services
- Provide technical assistance for the development of support groups and other local initiatives to serve individuals, families and caregivers
- Recommend public policy concerning Alzheimer's disease and related disorders to state policymakers
- Submit an annual report to the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging and to the General Assembly