State must not stop funding adult day-health centers

THE nation's current economic meltdown has hit Washington and threatens our state's health and human services system. As a result of our state's $6 billion deficit, one of the services targeted for elimination is our adult day-health centers.

For the past 2 ½ years, my wife has been a participant in Elderhealth Northwest's adult day-health center in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood. More than four years ago when she was 57, she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. She now lives in an adult family home in Seattle.

Many people with dementia and memory loss, like Linda, rely on Elderhealth to maintain their physical and emotional well-being. Now Elderhealth and 35 other adult day-health centers in Washington state face the imminent threat of permanent closure if the Legislature approves Gov. Christine Gregoire's proposed budget for the current fiscal year.

Sixteen adult day-health centers in King and Snohomish County alone would be eliminated.

Since she was placed in her adult family home in the fall of 2007, Linda's Alzheimer's condition has worsened. Adult day-health centers provide skilled health and rehabilitation services. Every person referred to adult day-health programs has a documented nursing or rehabilitative need.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that our over-65 population will double by 2030. This is the wrong time to cut public investments in community-based, affordable, long-term care for our citizens. Such cuts erode the already frayed "safety net" of our state's human-services system.

The consequences of dismantling that care would be devastating. Adult day-health services save money. One year of adult day-health care costs an average of about $7,000, while the average cost of a nursing home is more than $61,000.

Even if 10 percent of those who now use adult day health were to move to nursing homes, it would cost the state more than $12 million. That would more than negate any savings by eliminating adult day-health care from the state budget.

Overall, adult day-health centers serve 4,000 disabled and senior citizens, many of whom who have dementia or Alzheimer's. At last count, there are more than 110,000 people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Washington state. About 70 percent of those individuals live at home, and 70 percent are cared for by unpaid caregivers, mostly family and friends.

Elderhealth Northwest adult day-health centers in Seattle serve 1,400 elderly and disabled citizens. If Washington's adult day-health centers are closed, those citizens would be deprived of important services that assure continued health. Eliminating them now would mean that many participants would have to move to higher and costlier levels of care.

Adult day-health centers are vital and serve an important segment of our vulnerable and rapidly aging population many of whom, like my wife, are permanently disabled. We cannot afford to abandon them now.

Collin Tong is a Seattle freelance writer and was the former senior director of westside communications for Washington State University.