By Miami Senior Advisor Care Team · October 10, 2026
A son in Pembroke Pines gets his mother’s diagnosis on a Thursday: Alzheimer’s disease, moderate stage. By Friday he has a folder of paperwork, a calendar full of her appointments, and a dawning sense that the next few years will look nothing like the last few. What he does not have is a list of what help exists. Most South Florida families in that position hear about assisted living, memory care and home care agencies long before anyone mentions a state program built specifically for dementia caregivers.
That program is the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative, usually shortened to ADI, run by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. It funds respite care for caregivers, a network of memory disorder clinics, and related supports, and it is delivered locally through the Area Agencies on Aging. This guide explains what ADI is, what it can realistically do for a family in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach County, how to reach it, and where it fits next to the other options you may be weighing. It is general information, not medical or legal advice, and program details can change, so confirm specifics with the agencies named below.
What the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative actually is
ADI is a state-funded program, authorized in Florida law, aimed at people with Alzheimer’s disease and related memory disorders and at the people caring for them. According to the Florida State University REACH program, which summarizes it, ADI includes respite care for caregivers (in-home care, adult day care, emergency respite and extended respite of up to 30 days), case management, and a network of memory disorder clinics that provide testing, education and referrals while also conducting research. Florida law also allows the department to contract for model day care programs that serve people with memory disorders and train the staff who work with them.
It helps to be clear about what ADI is not. It is not Medicaid, it is not an entitlement, and it does not pay for assisted living room and board. It is a funded program with a finite budget, which means services are allocated by county and may come with waiting lists and, in some cases, cost sharing. Think of it as a pressure valve for a family caregiving at home, not as a long-term payment source. For families trying to understand the larger funding picture, our guide to paying for senior care in Miami lays out every option side by side.
The front door: your Area Agency on Aging and the Elder Helpline
ADI services are not something you apply for with the state in Tallahassee. They are delivered through Florida’s eleven Area Agencies on Aging, and the standard way in is the statewide Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). The helpline routes you to the aging network agency that covers your county. In South Florida that generally means three organizations: the Alliance for Aging, which serves Miami-Dade and Monroe counties; the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County; and the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast.
When you call, expect a screening conversation. Staff will typically ask about the person’s diagnosis, age, where they live, who lives with them, what daily tasks they need help with, and the caregiver’s own situation. They use the answers to decide which programs you may qualify for. ADI is only one of the programs they screen for, and that is a good reason to make the call even if you are not sure ADI is the right fit: the same call can surface home-delivered meals, adult day care, homemaker help and the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program, which our article on SMMC Long-Term Care Medicaid eligibility covers in detail.
A few practical tips make the call go better. Have the diagnosis and the physician’s name handy. Be honest about the hard parts, including nighttime wandering, incontinence and your own exhaustion, because the screening is built around need. Ask directly whether there is a waiting list, where your parent would sit on it, and whether you can be considered for emergency or short-term respite in the meantime. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and the date, and follow up in writing if you can.
Respite care: the part most caregivers need first
Respite means a planned break for the caregiver, and for dementia caregivers it is often the single service that keeps a home arrangement going. ADI-funded respite can take several forms. In-home respite sends a trained worker to stay with your parent while you shop, work, attend a medical appointment or simply sleep. Adult day care respite lets your parent spend several hours at a program with trained staff and activities. Emergency respite covers a sudden event, such as the caregiver’s own hospitalization. Extended respite is a longer stay, which the program describes as up to 30 days, and can give a caregiver room to recover from surgery or take a long-planned trip.
How much respite a family receives depends on funding in their county, assessed need and the program’s rules at the time. Do not assume a particular number of hours. Ask what is currently available and what, if anything, the family is expected to contribute. If the answer is a waiting list, ask whether the Area Agency on Aging can point you to other programs in the meantime. Our companion article on respite care for family caregivers in South Florida covers how to arrange and pay for respite privately, and adult day care programs in Miami-Dade and Broward walks through what to look for at a program tour.
Caregivers often resist respite. They feel guilty, or they worry the person with dementia will be upset by a stranger in the house. A practical approach is to start small: a few hours at a time, with the same worker, scheduled at a predictable time of day. Many families find that the person with dementia adapts more easily than expected, particularly when the visit is framed as a companion or helper rather than a sitter. If you are already seeing the signs of caregiver exhaustion, read our guide to caregiver burnout warning signs before you decide a break can wait.
Memory disorder clinics: diagnosis, education and a second set of eyes
The other half of ADI is its network of memory disorder clinics, often called MDCs. The FSU summary counts seventeen clinics serving thirteen service areas statewide. They exist to evaluate people with memory concerns, support caregivers with education and referrals, and conduct research. Florida’s statute that creates the clinics names host institutions across the state; the version we reviewed lists the Miami Jewish Health System in Miami-Dade County and, in Palm Beach County, St. Mary’s Medical Center and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Host institutions and locations can change over time, so treat that as a starting point and ask the Elder Helpline or the Alzheimer’s Association for the current clinic serving your county, including Broward.
A memory disorder clinic can be valuable in several situations. If your parent has memory changes but no firm diagnosis, a specialized evaluation can separate Alzheimer’s disease from other causes of confusion, some of which, such as medication side effects, thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies and depression, may be treatable. If a diagnosis exists but you doubt it, or the disease seems to be progressing differently than expected, a clinic can offer a second look. And if you simply need to learn what to expect, clinic staff are often a good source of caregiver education and support group referrals.
Ask each clinic practical questions before you book: whether a physician referral is required, how long the wait for a first appointment is, whether they accept your parent’s insurance, whether the visit includes a caregiver interview, and whether they provide a written summary your parent’s regular doctors can use. Bring a one-page timeline of symptoms, a list of every medication and supplement, and prior test results.
How ADI fits with the other help available in South Florida
No single program covers everything, and most families end up stitching several together. Here is how the pieces usually relate.
Adult day care and home care. ADI respite can fund part of what a private-pay family would otherwise buy. When ADI hours run out or are unavailable, private adult day programs and home care agencies fill the gap. Comparing the two is a common crossroads, and in-home care versus assisted living in South Florida explains how costs and safety tradeoffs shift as needs grow.
Medicaid long-term care. If your parent’s income and assets are low and they need a nursing-home level of care, SMMC Long-Term Care Medicaid may pay for services at home or in a participating assisted living facility. It has its own application, a financial look-back and enrollment waits, which we cover in the SMMC Long-Term Care waitlist and enrollment guide. ADI is not a substitute, but a call to the Area Agency on Aging can put your parent on the right lists at the same time.
Veterans benefits. If your parent or their late spouse served, VA programs such as Aid and Attendance may help with care costs. See our guide to VA Aid and Attendance for Florida veterans.
Memory care. When wandering, nighttime behaviors or the level of supervision exceed what a family can safely provide, secured memory care becomes the realistic next step. Florida now regulates memory care units specifically, as described in our article on Florida’s memory care license under SB 1404, and memory care versus assisted living explains how the two differ. Families searching for Miami memory care, for instance, often start with respite precisely to buy time while they tour.
A step-by-step plan for the first month after a diagnosis
Dementia caregiving rewards early organization. A simple sequence works for many families in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
In the first week, call the Elder Helpline and your county’s Area Agency on Aging, ask to be screened for ADI respite and any other eligible programs, and ask about waiting lists. Request a copy of the diagnosis and the cognitive testing results from the diagnosing physician.
In the second week, schedule a visit with a memory disorder clinic if you do not yet have a clear diagnosis or want a second opinion. Contact the Alzheimer’s Association, which operates a 24/7 Helpline at 1-800-272-3900, to find caregiver classes and support groups in your area.
In the third week, deal with the legal groundwork while your parent can still take part. A durable power of attorney, a health care surrogate designation and a living will are far easier to complete early. Our guide to power of attorney for senior care in Florida explains what each document does and why timing matters.
In the fourth week, start a home safety review, from stove knobs to door alarms, and visit one or two adult day programs. Identify a backup caregiver for emergencies. If you are caring for a parent from another city or state, long-distance caregiving in South Florida offers a coordination checklist. And keep an eye on the behaviors that change the care equation, such as late-day confusion and sundowning and wandering, since both are early signals that more supervision may be needed.
Common mistakes families make with ADI
The first mistake is waiting for a crisis. Programs with waiting lists reward the family that applies early, and emergency respite is easier to arrange when the agency already knows your parent. The second is assuming the program is only for people in the late stages of the disease. Caregivers of people at any stage can benefit from education, support groups and a regular break. The third is treating a waiting list as a no. Funding changes, and being on record with the agency matters. The fourth is forgetting the caregiver’s own health. A caregiver who skips their own doctor visits and sleep is a caregiver who will eventually be unable to help at all.
Finally, do not assume what you hear on one call is permanent. Eligibility rules, funding and waiting lists change from year to year, and different staff members may know about different programs. If the first answer is discouraging, call back, ask whether any other programs apply, and ask for the supervisor or a care coordinator.
When home stops working: planning the move without panic
ADI is designed to support families caring at home. At some point, for many, home care stops being safe or sustainable. Signs include repeated falls, unsafe wandering, caregiver injury or illness, and care needs that require two people. Moving a parent into memory care is rarely a single decision; it is usually the end of a gradual process. Starting to tour communities while things are still manageable lets you choose rather than react. Our Miami assisted living tour checklist is a good place to begin, and you can compare options in Miami assisted living, Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. Our Florida resources hub collects the state agencies, ombudsman and complaint lines in one place.
If you would rather not do it alone, our advisors can help you sort through the options. The service is free to families, and you can reach out here. We will not push a move before you are ready, and we can help you think through respite, day programs and timing as well as placement. Hablamos español.