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Advise, Advocate, Connect, and Collaborate on Aging Network Issues

ging Network advocates who attended the 2019 Senior Lobby Day in Olympia included (left to right) Cynthia Winters, Edna Daigre, and June Michel, staffed by ADS planners Karen Winston and Jon Morrison Winters.

What a year!

In 2019, the Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging & Disability Services took part in state and federal advocacy, including the Washington State Senior Lobby Day in Olympia, focusing on continuing and expanding long-term services and supports such as case manageme­nt, caregiver support, and expanded services available through Medicaid transformation. We presented at a joint meeting with the Washington State Council on Aging and Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging and in the Washington State Senior Lobby Conference. We attended town hall meetings, wrote letters, sent hotline messages, and talked with our family and friends about legislative advocacy.

We heard presentations on affordable housing (thank you, Housing Development Consortium and Seattle Office of Housing), Asian/Pacific Islander aging issues (thank you, NAPCA), long-term care quality (see the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program article in this issue), public health priorities for our aging population (thank you, Public Health—Seattle & King County), and the new Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture. We heard a panel of presenters on LGBTQ services, including those provided by GenPRIDE.

Seattle Human Services Department and Aging and Disability Services staff talked with us about falls prevention, family caregiving, and homelessness. The King County Department of Community & Human Services gave regular reports on the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy, as did the Age Friendly Coalition for Seattle & King County and the Northwest Universal Design Council. We presented two public hearings on the Area Plan for 2020–2023, which was submitted for State Unit on Aging review in early October. We produced 12 issues of this e-zine, AgeWise King County. And we celebrated Volunteer Appreciation Month, Older Americans Month, and Caregivers Month.

Without a doubt, the ADS Advisory Council lives up to its mission to advise local government on aging, disability, and caregiving issues; advocate at all levels of government; connect with provider organizations and the public; and collaborate with local and statewide advocacy organizations to achieve mutual goals.

Perhaps ADS Advisory Council service is in your future! Learn more on our website or e-mail advisorychair@agewisekingcounty.org for more information. We are stronger together!


Ava FrisingerContributor Ava Frisinger chairs the Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging & Disability Services, which publishes AgeWise King County. She welcomes input from readers via e-mail (advisorychair@agewisekingcounty.org) as well as applicants for open positions on the council. For more information, visit www.agingkingcounty.org/advisory-council.

Photo at top: Aging Network advocates who attended the 2019 Senior Lobby Day in Olympia included (left to right) Cynthia Winters, Edna Daigre, and June Michel, staffed by ADS planners Karen Winston and Jon Morrison Winters. Photo by Lorraine Sanford.

This article originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of AgeWise King County.