Caregiving

The pandemic has taken an extremely heavy toll on residents of nursing homes and other long term care facilities. This period of prolonged isolation has caused declines in physical, cognitive, and emotional health. There is an antidote!

The 2022 legislative session led to a significant win for Washingtonians nearing retirement. More than a million near retirees are now eligible for benefits under the WA Cares Program.

Do you have a family member living in a Memory Care setting?

The COVID pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our lives, economy, friends, and families. No one was hit harder than residents of long-term care -- nearly 80,000 Washingtonians who live in more than 4,300 long-term care homes across the state.

In just over a year, more than 2,600 residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Washington state have died of COVID-19. While the ongoing vaccination rollout offers hope, we must seek improvements to care. Chronic problems that plagued nursing homes pre-pandemic—like infection control and understaffing—remain and may have worsened.

HB 1218 seeks to protect residents by implementing common-sense solutions

The science is clear: emotional support matters — especially as we age.

Facilities must be held accountable as numbers worsen despite millions in state and federal funding

Ballots have arrived, and this year it includes an important measure that we at AARP Washington strongly support. We encourage you to vote to approve ESJR 8212 to secure the Long-Term Care Trust Act for vulnerable Washingtonians.

If you have a spouse, sibling, parent, or other loved one in a nursing home, you may be worried about their safety and well-being because of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some key questions to ask the nursing home: