California Wandering Prevention Task Force.

Existing law provides various services and supports for individuals with cognitive impairments resulting from medical conditions and developmental disabilities, including, but not limited to, regional centers and the Alzheimer's Day Care Resource Center Program. Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, establishes the California Department of Aging and sets forth its mission to provide leadership to the area agencies on aging in developing systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments. This bill would establish the California Wandering Prevention Task Force, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, to address, on a statewide basis, the issue of wandering by individuals with cognitive impairment. The task force would consist of 20 members, to be appointed by the Attorney General or their designee. The task force membership would include, among others, the Director of the California Department of Aging or their designee, and representatives of law enforcement, counties, service providers, hospital systems, and regional centers. The bill would require the task force to meet 4 to 6 times per year, and to report to the Legislature its recommendations for wandering prevention by June 30, 2024, as specified.