AgeWise King County

Everyone I know has been deeply affected by the demonstrations and protests that took place following the deplorable killing by police of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta in June—and so many other African Americans over many years. Across the nation and around the world, we’re hearing people call... Read More

May is Older Americans Month, when we celebrate the contributions of older people throughout their lifetimes. Despite current limitations, that celebration is more important now than ever, as we see COVID-19 disproportionately impacting older people and their families. As we know from news reports, among the first U.S. deaths due to COVID-19 were residents of... Read More

The Age Friendly Seattle 2019 Annual Report is hot off the press, and well worth review. If you’re not familiar with the “age friendly” movement, the City of Seattle joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in 2016 and launched its Age Friendly Seattle initiative the following year. After reading the report, I’m... Read More

Recently, the Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging & Disability Services weighed in on changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility rules proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Their proposal would negatively affect 3.6 million families nationwide and cause more than 620,000 older adults to lose nutrition benefits. The change would... Read More

The state legislative session adjourned April 28 with several wins for the Seattle-King County Advisory Council for Aging & Disability Services (ADS) and other Area Agencies on Aging. One of those wins—passage of the Long-Term Care Trust Act—was monumental for the future of aging services in Washington state. The following bills passed and have been... Read More

You may recall last month’s article about the new Long-Term Care Coalition in Washington state. The coalition’s work is intense and ongoing. Why? Because thousands of vulnerable Washingtonians are at risk of losing services they depend on for daily living. We are working to prevent cuts to vital services. The worst-case scenario at this time—based... Read More

Coronavirus—sometimes called novel (meaning new) coronavirus or COVID-19, which is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019—weighs on the hearts and minds of people around the world. According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has become a pandemic. Last week, it was declared a national emergency. King County has been the U.S. epicenter. Following the advice of... Read More

You may find it of interest to know who is speaking for Aging and Disability Services (ADS) in Olympia. It’s not ADS employees (unless they choose to do so on their own time). They are City of Seattle employees and City ethics rules prohibit them from taking part in political activity while on City time... Read More

February 26, 2019 is Senior Lobby Day in Olympia. I’ve participated in countless lobby days over the years—as a senior advocate, as a former elected official from Issaquah, as a citizen of the great state of Washington. I’m in at least one of the photos above, which show senior advocates really enjoying Senior Lobby Day... Read More

February 26, 2019 is Senior Lobby Day in Olympia. I’ve participated in countless lobby days over the years—as a senior advocate, as a former elected official from Issaquah, as a citizen of the great state of Washington. I’m in at least one of the photos above, which show senior advocates really enjoying Senior Lobby Day... Read More

On the second Monday in January, the 66th Washington State Legislature convenes its 2019 session in Olympia. Throughout the session—which meets for 105 days in odd-numbered years—Aging Network advocates will meet with their elected representatives in the State Senate and House of Representatives to talk about issues, resources, and solutions. The Seattle-King County Advisory Council... Read More

Some of the things that I enjoy most about AgeWise King County is the ability to provide food for thought, resources for healthy aging and living, and information for effective advocacy. This issue is no exception. You will read about Alzheimer’s, caregiving, and housing. On every page, you will see local resource information. I encourage... Read More

How are you doing? I mean, really, how are you doing? I hope you are well and have been untouched by coronavirus, except that we’ve all been touched in one way or another by this pandemic. If you’ve lost a friend or loved one to the disease, my heart goes out to you. If you... Read More

On April 3, the Kaiser Permanente Senior Caucus will meet by phone and hear a longtime friend of Aging and Disability Services, Dr. Christine Fordyce. The meeting notice included this text from Dr. Fordyce, which I hope you will read: “We all know how important staying socially connected and physically active is to our health... Read More

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Have you every wondered where the practice of making New Year’s resolutions came from? “The History of New Year’s Resolutions” (History.com) tells us this practice has evolved over thousands of years. The article also points out that very few people achieve goals put forth in resolutions. So … let’s shake things up! Let’s set New... Read More