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Gov. Gregoire highlights needs of growing senior citizen population

For Immediate Release: May 20, 2008

Governor also visits food bank and WorkSource center in Spokane

SPOKANE � Washington�s population of senior citizens will double by 2020, and our state must be prepared to ensure seniors get the long-term care they deserve, Gov. Chris Gregoire said today.

�We in Washington have one of the fastest growing aging populations in the nation,� said Gregoire, speaking at the Washington Health Care Association Annual Convention in Spokane. �Everyone hopes to grow old in their own house, but not everybody can. Nursing homes and other facilities aren�t for everybody, but they are a critical part of our spectrum of needs to serve our senior citizens.�

About one million senior citizens will live in Washington by 2020, twice as many as lived here in 2002. Gregoire in 2005 created the Long Term Care Task Force to study and make recommendations about Washington�s long-term care system. Some of the task force�s key recommendations became part of the �Aging in Place� legislation, which offers additional support to family caregivers and funds a new statewide fall prevention program. Gregoire signed House Bill 2668 in March.

Since 2005, Washington has provided more than $270 million in additional support to long-term care, including rate increases for nursing facilities and for home-care workers.

While in Spokane, Gregoire also toured the Second Harvest Food Bank and called upon Washington residents to donate to their local food banks and shelter pantries. The governor delivered food to Second Harvest on the eve of their annual food drive. Many of Washington�s 320 food banks are experiencing short-term shortages due to increased demand. Food prices are rising at the fastest rates since 1990, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

�Many people in Washington, particularly our senior citizens and children, are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of food,� Gregoire said. �I encourage Washingtonians who can to give generously to local food banks, which help so many of our residents throughout the year.�

Gregoire also visited the Spokane WorkSource Office, where she congratulated the employees and their partners on being named one of the nation�s best one-stop workforce development service centers by the International Association of Workforce Professionals.

The final recommendations of Gregoire�s Long Term Care Task Force can be found online.
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