Washington Caregivers Know: We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings
Kathy is a natural caregiver. She grew up taking care of her four siblings, so she was set up well for a 28-year career as a Washington caregiver. When her husband became a paraplegic in a construction accident at the young age of 29, their lives changed in an instant. She became a full-time homecare provider for her partner and remained a full-time caregiver outside of the house.
“I do worry that someday I’m going to be the one needing someone to help me. The Washington Cares Act would help me be able to stay in my home. I could tap into the fund for equipment, part-time help and modifications that would allow me to stay in my home as long as possible.”
-– Kathy Larson, Tacoma
Since the accident, their family has been juggling everything financially. She works hard to make sure her husband has care and her children are happy and fed.
Luckily, Kathy no longer worries about how she’ll get care if she needs it someday. WA Cares means Washington caregivers get paid for time spent caring for loved ones. All working Washingtonians can now get long-term care when we need it.
Kathy’s Story
I’ve always been a caregiver.
I’m the oldest of five, so I grew up taking care of younger siblings and stuff like that. When I was 18 years old, I went to work as the juice person at a local nursing home. I just kind of fell into caregiving naturally. The thing I enjoy most is taking care of people.
I’ve been a Washington caregiver for 28 years altogether. Now I have degenerative osteoarthritis in my back, in my knee, in my ankles, and I have diabetes.
I’m working but I can’t get private long-term care insurance because of my pre-existing conditions.
I do worry that someday I’m going to be the one needing someone to help me. The Washington Cares Act would help me stay in my home, and I qualify, even with my pre-existing conditions. I could use my benefits for equipment, part-time help, and modifications that would allow me to stay in my home as long as possible. Plus, I could get paid as a Washington caregiver to provide help to family when they need help with daily tasks.
To folks who think they’ll never need care, I can tell you, any of us may need help at some point in our lives, no matter what our age.
We never know what tomorrow’s going to bring us.
My husband was only 29 years old when he was in a construction accident, and spent the next 10 years as a paraplegic. Our lives were hard at that time. I was caring for him, and working as a Washington caregiver, so we had very little to live on, and we had no insurance.
I remember when I started working, I started out at $1.98 an hour. There were food banks in my life in those days, making sure the kids got fed, making sure my husband had healthy food. It was a juggling act. And today it’s still that juggling act. With the inflation going on now, we make barely enough to cover our expenses.
Washington state is recognizing the reality that most of us fall into a gap.
We don’t have huge savings to spend on care should we need it. Even if we did, we may not qualify for private long-term care insurance because of our pre-existing conditions.
Making funds available to pay for home care will help us stay in our homes. Plus, it will attract more Washington caregivers, which we really need!
My name is Kathy Larson. I live in Pierce County, in Tacoma area. I’ve been a caregiver for 10 years this time. A total of 28 years. The thing I enjoy most is taking care of people. I’ve always been a caregiver. I’m the oldest of five. So I grew up taking care of younger siblings and stuff like that. The most challenging thing is the hours and sometimes the extra hours you have to spend to actually get the job done.
I do worry that someday I’m going to need care. I’m part of an aging generation of baby boomers. I’m at the tail end of that generation, and I may need someone to help me, because I do have a few problems. I have osteoarthritis, degenerative osteoarthritis, in my back, in my knee, in my ankles, and I have diabetes. So no insurance for me. The Washington Cares Act would help me be able to stay in my home. I look at the care fund as something that I could draw on for equipment in my home, maybe part-time help if I need it, modifications to my home that would allow me to stay in my home. We don’t know what tomorrow’s ever going to bring us.
My husband was disabled at a very early age in his life. He was only 29 years old when he was in a construction accident and spent the next 10 years as a paraplegic that I cared for.
Let Us Know How WA Cares Will Help Your Family
Learn more about how The WA Cares Fund is supporting Washington Caregivers.