Senior services in Clark County, WA are important now and will become more important within the next ten years. It is understandable that Clark County and Southwest Washington continue to be concerned about the future of senior services in the Clark County, WA area. After all, by 2025 a quarter of Clark County’s population is projected to be 60 and older. Recently, a forum focused on senior services in Clark County was held in Vancouver, WA.

The forum, organized by local agencies on aging and senior lobby groups, consisted of thirteen legislative candidates who answered questions posed by the moderator, a Washington State University – Vancouver assistant professor of political science. Those questions included topics such as the preservation of the state’s AARP ranking of its long term care program as “the second best at a low cost among 30 states.” Washington’s long term care program has been used as a model by other states developing their programs.

According to the Columbian article, other question topics included “the continued support for unpaid family caregivers; emphasis on lower cost in home care; continuing to pay contractual pubic employee pensions; and eliminating the business and occupation tax” on businesses’ gross receipts. Answers showed a bipartisan consensus. However, there was disagreement on the topic of support for expanding Medicaid eligibility.

The two-hour “Silver Tsunami” forum was attended by 125 people who were mostly seniors. It’s clear that senior services in Clark County, WA is a topic of interest now and will become even more important in the near future. We are looking forward to more information on senior services as senior housing options expand and more residents hear about the great work being done in Clark County and Southwest WA.