Save Adult Day Health in Washington State

Adult Day Health is a program that provides socialization, supervision, therapy, activities, nutrition, medical and physical care to anyone over the age of 18 who have cognitive, physical and developmental limitations. Governor Christine Gregoire proposed budget eliminates Medicaid funding for adult day health, which would take away vital health care and rehabilitative services to those elderly who are among the poorest and most vulnerable in our communities. Adult Day Health also gives caregivers a chance to run errands and have some time to themselves while their loved one is well taken care of at one of the Adult Day Health centers.

Facts:
Adult Day Health provides intensive nursing and rehabilitative services at an average cost of $5,304 per client/year compared to an alternative of nursing home placement at a cost of $70,300 per client/year.

DSHS has certified every client as "nursing home eligible" already because they need that level of care from either an adult day or a nursing home-but they have chosen to live independently in the community and not in an institution.

The "typical" client who will be cut is a 76 year old low-income who performs at the lowest end of functional ability of self-care, mobility and independent living skills (feeding, dressing, toileting, mobility), who uses a walker or wheelchair, is at high risk of costly falls and further loss of ability, and who has over 6 serious medical diagnoses.

Cutting adult day health will, by some estimates, double the elderly clients use of emergency departments, increase the number of hospitalizations, extend the length of hospital stays and increase the frequency of outpatient doctor visits.

In Oregon, a major adult day health program closed. A year later, 50\% of its former participants had moved to a higher level of care (such as a nursing home), and 25\% of it's former participants had died.

Please save Adult Day Health in Washington State.