Certification for Dementia Care Facilities
Apr 9, 2025
Senate Bill 5337, sponsored by Sen. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, would require the Department of Social and Health Services to create, manage and enforce a certification process for licensed assisted living facilities. The Washington State Standard reports that lack of standardized care can make it difficult for individuals or families to understand the services and staffing that facilities offer. “Currently there are about 126,000 seniors in Washington with Alzheimer’s disease, which is about 10% of the population 65 and up and that number is growing every day,” said Brad Forbes from the Alzheimer’s Association. The bill would require these facilities to maintain staff onsite 24 hours a day, to have at least six hours of continuing education for workers per year on dementia-related behaviors such as aggression, and to provide patients with individual and group activities. If approved, the bill would require assisted living facilities to be certified by July 1, 2026.
Senate Bill 5337, sponsored by Sen. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, would require the Department of Social and Health Services to create, manage and enforce a certification process for licensed assisted living facilities. The Washington State Standard reports that lack of standardized care can make it difficult for individuals or families to understand the services and staffing that facilities offer. “Currently there are about 126,000 seniors in Washington with Alzheimer’s disease, which is about 10% of the population 65 and up and that number is growing every day,” said Brad Forbes from the Alzheimer’s Association. The bill would require these facilities to maintain staff onsite 24 hours a day, to have at least six hours of continuing education for workers per year on dementia-related behaviors such as aggression, and to provide patients with individual and group activities. If approved, the bill would require assisted living facilities to be certified by July 1, 2026.