January 2024 Monthly Newsletter

Featured Video: Sally's partner Patty has Parkinson's and a caregiver at home helps to meet their everyday needs. The WA Cares Fund will help families like theirs cover the costs of long-term care.

Watch Sally’s story here

Webinars: Watch the recording of our January WA Cares Basics: What Workers Need to Know webinar. We covered what long-term care includes, how caregiving responsibilities impact families and the workplace, who contributes to the fund, how exemptions work, contribution requirements and more. 

Find recording of past webinars and learn more about upcoming webinars here.

Fund Fact: Self-employed workers can choose to opt into WA Cares.

While 70% of us will need long-term care in our lifetimes, most of us don’t have a way to pay for it. Long-term care is expensive, and the costs hit us when most of us are on a fixed income and we can’t afford it.

Being self-employed can put you at higher risk if something goes wrong, without employer-provided benefits and retirement accounts. If you’re self-employed, you can elect coverage and protect yourself with the same affordable benefits available to other Washington workers. Read more about why self-employed workers should opt in.

Monthly FAQ: Over the holidays, I noticed some changes in a loved one. How do I know if they need more support?

When your family gathers for the holidays, it’s common to realize that a loved one is experiencing more difficulty with daily activities than you realized before. You may have noticed mental changes, like memory loss that disrupts daily life and difficulty with more intensive mental activities like multitasking and using a computer. Or you could be noticing physical changes, including anything from injuries caused by an accident to increasing difficulty getting around the house. You may also notice your loved one is having trouble keeping up with routine tasks like house cleaning or groceries.

If you’re concerned about memory loss and mental difficulties, the Washington State Dementia Action Collaborative’s Dementia Road Map is an empowering, action-focused guide to help you understand and address every stage of dementia. It also includes detailed communication tips for talking with a loved one with dementia. Beyond dementia, the National Institute on Aging’s The Caregiver’s Handbook may be helpful for figuring out whether your loved one needs help and where to start as a caregiver. Your local Area Agency on Aging is another excellent resource if you need help finding services and support in your community.

If you’re thinking about having a conversation with your family about long-term care planning, check out our recent news article and webinar on talking with loved ones about long-term care.