Aging & Long Term Care Division
Advisory Board

The Division of Aging and Long Term Care (Area Agency on Aging) is responsible for planning, developing, coordinating, and delivering a comprehensive system of services to enable our aging citizens and people needing long-term care to live as independently and with as much dignity as possible.

Services provided through contracts with local agencies include health maintenance and information; legal assistance; group and home-delivered meals; respite care; mental health counseling; substance abuse recovery support; in-home personal household care and assistance with daily living activities; telephone assistance/friendly visitor; and senior community services employment.

Services provided directly by division staff include:

• case management
• nurse oversight
• information, assistance and advocacy.

The division also sponsors the Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman program which receives, investigates, and resolves complaints from residents of long-term care facilities.

Services are provided to functionally disabled individuals over age 18 receiving subsidized in-home care, adults in residential care, and persons 60 years of age and older and their caregivers are eligible for services.

Annually, direct services are provided by the division to approximately 2,700 individuals, and 3,200 are served by contracting agencies.  Over 1,780 are served by the Ombudsman program, and an additional 7,000 people obtain information and referrals each year.

Revenue is through state and federal grants and contracts administered by the division. Funding sources include the federal Older Americans Act, Social Security Act (Medicaid), Social Services Block Grant, and the Washington State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program and Senior Citizens Services Act.. The division budget for 1999 was approximately $4,783,000.