Around the room, heads nodded compassionately as members of the House Health and Human Services Committee talked about the toll of Alzheimer's disease in Utah.

More than one lawmaker in the room on Wednesday said he or she had a family member afflicted by the disease.

The committee then voted to support creating a task force charged with writing a state plan that assesses the current and future impact of the disease, a challenge expected to grow with an aging population.

Sen. Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, sponsored the privately-funded task force plan. Her mother suffered from the disease, which can affect memory, thinking and behavior.

"This is such a tragic disease, so debilitating," said Morgan.

The task force, which already has the support of the Senate, would submit the report to lawmakers in November.

Dan Weist