On February 25, 2016, the Mayor’s Council on African American Elders and the Advisory Council for the King County Aging and Disability Services, attended the annual Senior Lobby Day in Olympia. Each year, constituents statewide participate by talking to State legislators about legislation that will have a significant impact on older adults and people with disabilities. Lobbying is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process to build relationships, while expressing interests, concerns and/or support. Such methods can include writing letters or emails, or placing phone calls on issues that affect older adults and the imminent “age wave”.
The “age wave” refers to demographic information about the increase in the age 60 and older population segment. This is a “tsunami” of sorts because with the influx of baby boomers, getting older often means dealing with issues, such as chronic conditions, retirement, transportation, affordable housing and even homelessness.
Elected officials are aware of this crisis and, in some instances, participate on or chair committees that address these issues. For example, in the 37th District, Senator Pramila Jayapall is currently on the Transportation Committee and the Health Care Committee. Both committees are of concern to older adults. On Senior Lobby Day, we were able to meet with Senator Jayapall and asked her support for the following bills:
1499-S2 – a bill regarding Elder Abuse. It was drafted to strengthen the current criminal statutes for abuse of vulnerable adults. This will include financial exploitation; increase penalties on physical and mental abuse; establishing interaction with agencies to share information and records that are relevant to the prevention or treatment of abuse, neglect or exploitation of our frail adults.
SB 6327 – The Care Act. This bill is in the Senate and would provide family caregivers with information and training that will help their loved ones to transition from a hospital stay to home, as well as prevent costly readmissions or placement in skilled nursing facilities. Caregivers would be notified of the patient’s hospital discharge and given instruction on medical tasks needed at home, such as wound care, etc. Currently, nineteen states have passed similar legislation.
HB 1725/SB5709 – Joint bills drafted to support and fully fund DSHS to implement policies regarding overtime pay for Individual Providers (IP) who provide in-home care to Medicaid case management clients.
Along with the aforementioned bills, we also discussed Medicaid coverage for hearing aids. This item will hopefully be a part of the State budget. The purpose is to significantly improve the health and quality of life of older adults with hearing loss issues. The coverage was cut in 2010 for persons 21 years and older. Twenty-six states cover the cost of hearing aids through Medicaid. More than half the population (ages 75 and older) have significant hearing loss. It has been determined that hearing loss is associated with depression, poor health, loss of independence and cognitive decline. It is proposed that if the State provides $600 thousand, the Federal government will grant $2 million in matching funds for this effort.
Lastly, we advocated on behalf of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. This program works to protect vulnerable older adults living in long-term care residences, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities, from abuse, neglect and exploitation. Ombudsmen are trained to investigate resident’s concerns and advocate on their behalf. Funding for this program was cut during the recession that we advocated to restore.
These bills, including others regarding transportation and affordable housing, were all topics during the day with our legislators. Overall, Senior Lobby Day was a success, very productive and well worth the trip! Thanks to our legislators for the important work they do on our behalf and for taking time to meet with us.
