Aging Readiness Forum: Please Join Us on September 17th

By Don Moreland, Member, Advisory Council on Aging and Disability Services & Terri Baker, Member, Pierce County Aging and Long Term Care Advisory Board

The "aging network" is entering a promising—and challenging—period for serving older adults and people with disabilities. Here are just a few trends which will impact service delivery:

• The baby boomers are just beginning to retire, which will put a strain on some services but also allow us to tap a growing reservoir of volunteer talent. This is occurring as older age cohorts live longer, further increasing the need for services.
• The economy is slowing down and the ability to implement creative new taxpayer-funded initiatives may be curtailed, at least in the short term.
• A growing body of scientific literature allows providers to develop more effective, "evidence-based," practices in service delivery, and more funders are requiring such evidence before providing funds.
• Assistive technology, health informatics, and telemedicine are rapidly growing fields with major players such as Google, Microsoft, and Intel becoming involved.

In this "mixed-news" context, many exciting initiatives are taking place or being planned at both the national level and here in Washington State.

Many of these will be discussed from 8:30 to 3:00 on Wednesday, September 17th, when the Seattle/King County Advisory Council on Aging and Disability Services and the Pierce County Aging and Long Term Care Advisory Board join forces in Tukwila for a forum called Aging Readiness: The Legislative Challenge.

We invite and encourage you to join us at this forum. Registration is free—light breakfast and lunch included—and open to the general public. You will have a chance not only to learn about state (and some national and local) legislative issues affecting older adults, but also how the state legislature really works, and effective advocacy strategies. You can register and view the full agenda on the forum website.

The forum can be divided into thirds, with the first third focusing on advocacy and the state legislative process. Tony Lee, Advocacy Director with Solid Ground, Dennis Mahar, Director of the Lewis-Mason-Thurston County Area Agency on Aging, and Jerry Reilly, a lobbyist with Public Policy Consultants, Inc, will give tips for effective advocacy and an overview of the state legislative process, including real examples of successfully pushing a bill through the legislature.

The second third of the agenda will focus on state (and some local) initiatives that advance the "aging readiness" agenda. This segment includes a keynote by Bob Drewel, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Regional Council. Few are in a better position to discuss the physical infrastructure requirements of an Aging Readiness agenda, and how we can prepare in King and Pierce, than Mr. Drewel. This will be followed by a legislative panel including Representatives Dawn Morrell (Pierce County, 25th District), Jay Rodne (King, 5th) and Jeannie Darneille (Pierce, 27th).

The final third shifts the focus to state-federal initiatives, specifically to Medicaid and Medicare issues. Kathy Leitch, Assistant Secretary of WA Aging and Disability Services Administration, will present the "Project 2020" initiative to divert Medicare/Medicaid funds to more preventive services. Peter Greenfield of Columbia Legal Services will discuss increasing the Medicaid income eligibility limits to at least the federal poverty level—an issue where Washington is behind many other states.

It is a very full agenda, and we hope there is "something for everyone." Most of all we hope to see you there!