Don’t delay state’s long-term care program, WA Cares

Some legislators are lobbying to delay the WA Cares Fund for long-term care.

What happened to our family is an example of why we need this program. First, my mother-in-law had a debilitating stroke. Then my mother moved in with us due to dementia, and then my ex-mother-in-law needed care while recovering from an illness, so we took her in too.

None of our loved ones had resources to pay someone to help with their daily personal needs. So our family took shifts for caregiving while continuing to work full time, and pay our bills. It wears you out mentally, physically and financially. Many families are not able to do this.

Long-term care is a safety net no different from unemployment insurance. We hope we never need it, but glad it’s there if we do. The WA Cares Fund can cover 1,460 hours of respite care, a year of in-home caregiving of four hours a day, or help to cover five to six months in a skilled-care center, so you don’t have to sell everything you own to pay when insurance is capped out.

Lawmakers should support this program that will help so many of us workers who will need it to care for ourselves or family members someday.

Linda Wright

Arlington