Restore funding to allow seniors to “age in place.”

That was the message from seniors, their caregivers, and their advocates when they spoke to candidates for the State Legislature in the 23rd, 26th, and the 35th districts. In all, 13 candidates showed up for the two-hour forum last Friday.

“The Age Wave is coming. We’re getting older as a community,” said Dennis Maha, chairman of the Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging. “But I suspect you already knew that.”

Maha told candidates about the successes and the failures in past legislative sessions, and said the goal of area aging agencies is to keep seniors in their homes as long as possible.

“We know that allowing seniors to ‘age in place’ is the the most economical way,” he said. “But that means providing for their health care costs, their physical and emotional needs and restoring the cuts to Senior Citizens Service Act.”

Maha said it is that act that allows seniors the needed funding to have home health care workers, whether they are family or others hired to help with dressing, cooking and cleaning. Funds also allow for in-home meals, and needed repairs to seniors homes which few can afford to pay for on their own.

Statistically, those 65 and older make up 12 percent of the population in Washington, Maha said.

“By 2030, that will increase to 20 percent,” he said. “The Baby Boomers are aging.”

He said the state needs to get ready for the aging population and for the fact that people are living longer.

“Those in the 75 to 84 age bracket will double by 2060,” Maha said. “Those 85 and older will triple.”

And, although strides have been made in health care costs through the Affordable Health Care Act, what’s needed in the upcoming Washington State Legislative Session is a study of how to finance long term care. He said the state, despite a lack of revenue, needs to look for answers for long term care for seniors and those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The state also needs to protect pensions and promote savings for still-working adults, and create more part time jobs for retired men and women who still are healthy and have skills they can share.

Maha also said there is work to be done in the area of vulnerable adults, and cited that there was a 27 percent increase in the number of reported cases of elder abuse from 2008 to 2012.

“We have to find ways to address this,” he said. “Many cases include financial exploration which adds to the burden that the elderly have.”

Transportation also is a concern to the elderly and Maha said a recent survery showed that 21 percent of those 65 and older in the state do not drive.

“Increased funding for transit and para-transit remains crucial,” he said.

Several health care workers spoke to the candidates and told stories of having their hours reduced due to cuts in state programs that pay for elder care.

Skip Duke, a former teacher and coach in the Central Kitsap School District, who is the primary care giver for his wife, said the state needs to get creative.

“Being a caregiver was never on my bucket list,” Duke said. “But here I am.”

He said most caregivers are focusing on survival and depend on aging agencies and legislators to look at the big picture.

“Caring for my wife is expensive,” he said. “I’m in a situation where right now I’m OK. But who knows what the future will bring?”

He and other caregivers said the legislature should look at a voucher program for legal services for seniors dealing with wills, etc. Offering tax breaks for caregivers who pay-out-of-pocket is another option.

In a question and answer session following, all 13 candidates said they supported restoring funding to caregiver programs, which was cut last year. Many told stories of caring for their own elderly family members.

Several pointed out the drop in state revenues and the state’s need to fully fund education will tax the budget and will compete for available funding.

Candidates who attended were Sherry Appleton, Drew Hansen, James Olsen, Judy Arbogast, Nathan Schlicher, Jesse Young, Michelle Caldier, Larry Seaquest, Irene Bowling, Dan Griffey, Kathy Haigh, Drew MacEwen and Tammy Newton.