For the Reporter
Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, is a Capitol Caregiver.
The AARP bestowed the honor on the longtime senator for her work to support health care providers in Washington.
She joins Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, as 2016 Capitol Caregivers, a bipartisan group of state legislators, lieutenant governors and governors from 25 states. These elected officials have advanced policies to help health care providers and family caregivers who are making it possible for older Washingtonians to live independently at home – where they want to be.
“AARP thanks Sen. Keiser and Rep. Cody for championing the ‘Nurse Scope of Practice’ bill (HB 1259) this year,” said Cathy MacCaul, advocacy director for AARP, which serves more than 940,000 members, age 50 and older in Washington. “They provided integral leadership to pass the measure this year, and to help nurses take on a greater role in the increasingly complex health care system which fosters more patient-centered health care practices.”
The bill will help cut through the red tape and allow advance practice registered nurses to have the full authority to heal, which is especially important for older patients who receive care at home, supporters said.
“I am truly honored to have been selected as an AARP Capitol Caregiver,” Keiser said. “As someone who has prioritized senior issues for some time, I understand the need to ensure that all seniors can age with dignity and have access to quality care.”
“When a nurse is trying to help a patient heal, bureaucracy just gets in the way,” Cody said. “As a practicing nurse, I know that patients need us to be able to do our job without letting unnecessary rules slow us down. I’m proud to have sponsored common sense legislation that helps patients get better.”
“Family caregivers are the back bone of Washington’s care system, and they need our support,” MacCaul said. “The Nurse Scope of Practice Bill is just a first step to providing assistance to care providers. AARP will continue to fight for Washington’s family caregivers and their loved ones during the upcoming 2016 legislative session by supporting passage of the CARE Act.”
The “Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act,” will help family caregivers when their loved ones go into the hospital, requiring hospitals to record the caregiver’s name in the patient’s medical record, notify the caregiver before the patient is discharged, and instruct the caregiver on any medical tasks they will need to perform once their loved one returns home.
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is a U.S.-based membership and interest group. A membership organization for people age 50 and over, it operates as a nonprofit advocate for its members and is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country.
For more information on AARP Washington’s 2016 Legislative priorities, visit www.aarp.org/wa.
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