Welcome to the February 2011 Seniors Digest

Kaylene Moon, Advisory Council Chair

Meet the 2011 Seattle-King County Advisory Council on Aging and Disability Services. Seated (left to right):  Art Mussman; Kris Frederickson; Lillian Tang; Bev Clark; Claire Brannan. Standing:  Pamela Piering, ADS Director; Dave Rogers; Berta Seltzer; George Dicks; Timmie Faghin; Kaylene Moon, AC Chair; Don Moreland; Ava Frisinger; Marsha King; Tom Minty; Molly Holmes. (Not pictured: Diane Snell, Jacqueline Deerr-Lord, Duong Nguyen, Nick Licata, Cathy VonWald, Amy Astle-Raaen, Michael Miller, Dr. Elizabeth Phelan, and Katty Chow )

I am pleased to greet you for the first time in this issue of Seniors Digest! These are challenging times for our senior services support agencies, and I look forward to sharing information with you that will encourage us all to continue advocating for our older adults and people with disabilities.

First, a reminder that on Senior Lobby Day, held on February 24, Advisory Council members will join other advocates for older adults in Olympia to urge their representatives to protect the Senior Citizens Services Act (SCSA) and restore cuts to Medicaid in-home services for our most vulnerable citizens. In King County, SCSA funds several programs, including Information and Assistance, case management, and transportation programs. These services enable older adults to remain in their homes and communities and avoid nursing home placement. 

Read on to find out more about Senior Lobby Day and other important and informative events in our area.

Also in this issue:

• King County Housing Authority is using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for some overdue accessibility upgrades to low-income rental units.
• Rowena Rye shares current data on Alzheimer's disease, along with information on how we can be better informed about support and resources for patients and family caregivers.
• Did you make New Year's resolutions last month? Kirk Larson of Social Security shares with us the resolutions his agency has created for 2011.
• Student reporters from Columbia University have created a moving multimedia portrait of aging in America.
• Take a coffee break with this month's puzzle and learn about some of the benefits of social interaction.  

For More Information