Florida runs a state program that offers respite, memory-disorder diagnosis, and model adult day care for dementia families — and most Orlando caregivers have never heard of it.
By Orlando Senior Advisor Care Team · July 3, 2026
The Alzheimer's Disease Initiative, or ADI, is a program of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs built specifically for families living with Alzheimer's and other dementias. Its most valuable piece for Central Florida caregivers is respite — someone qualified steps in so you can rest, work, or handle an appointment. Respite through ADI can be delivered in the home, at a licensed facility for a short overnight or weekend stay, or at an adult day center, and it is designed around dementia rather than general aging.
ADI also funds Memory Disorder Clinics around the state that provide comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, treatment recommendations, and referrals — useful when a family suspects dementia but hasn't gotten a clear diagnosis. A related piece, model adult day care, tests dementia-specific programming that other centers then adopt. Together these services fill the exact gaps most families hit in the first year after a diagnosis.
ADI is administered locally through Florida's Area Agencies on Aging. For Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Brevard counties, that agency is the Senior Resource Alliance in Orlando. If your parent lives in Sumter, Lake, or Marion — including The Villages — the lead agency is Elder Options. The single easiest starting point is the statewide Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337 (1-800-96-ELDER); they screen you, place you with the right local agency, and get your name onto the list.
Two realities to plan around. First, ADI is not a guaranteed benefit like an insurance policy; it is state-funded and popular, so there is often a wait list, and families are usually asked for a voluntary co-payment on a sliding scale based on income. Second, it is not the same as Florida's SMMC Long-Term Care Medicaid waiver — ADI is not strictly means-tested, so families who earn too much for Medicaid can still qualify for ADI respite. Many Central Florida families end up using both.
Dementia care is a marathon, and the caregiver's health is the resource most likely to run out first. Nationally, a large share of dementia caregivers report high emotional stress, and burnout is one of the most common reasons a family moves a loved one into memory care sooner than they'd planned — not because the disease demanded it, but because the caregiver had nothing left. Even a few hours of reliable, dementia-trained coverage each week changes that math.
The practical move is to get on the ADI list early, before you are in crisis. Wait lists mean the help you request in July may not start for weeks, so families who plan ahead are the ones who actually have coverage when a hard month arrives. Use the waiting time to line up other supports too: the Alzheimer's Association runs a free 24/7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900, and local support groups meet across the Orlando metro.
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