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Kudos to all who participated in the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Washington Continuing Care Residents Association (WACCRA) on November 1, held in Seattle at the Mirabella CCRC.  

More than 100 Mirabella residents and more than 100 residents of other CCRCs in Washington State attended either in person or on Zoom. The CEO and management staff of Mirabella attended in support of their residents. In addition, distinguished guests from state government included Mike Anbesse, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of Social and Health Services, and Mandy Weeks-Greene, Department of Social and Health Services. Donna Christensen, Governmental Relations Consultant to WACCRA, was also present to mingle with attendees. All agreed the meeting was highly successful. 

A short business meeting chaired by President Laura Saunders included approving Mary Baroni as a member of the WACCRA Board of Directors. The membership update indicates that WACCRA continues to grow. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to boost membership fees slightly next year to fund our advocacy efforts and concomitant expenses.

HIGHLIGHTS

One highlight of the meeting was the keynote speaker: Katherine Pearson, Professor of Law at Penn State. She discussed common issues faced by Senior Independent Living residents throughout the country. Her landmark research in elder law, especially related to senior facilities, cautions residents to read their contracts! Unfortunately, CCRC residents are considered unsecured creditors: if a bankruptcy occurs, residents are the last creditors to be paid.

Another highlight was a short presentation by Seann Colgan, Litigation Chief in the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office. He made it clear that the amendment to the 2016 WA CCRC Law (RCW 18.390), passed by the legislature earlier this year, gave a clearer path for the ability of the AGO’s office to enforce the law. This is a huge win for WACCRA and all CCRC residents.

Click Here for more information about the Annual Meeting in our November 12 News-Mail.

YOU CAN VIEW THE ENTIRE ANNUAL MEETING IN TWO WAYS:

Powerpoint Slides of the Program

mp4 Video of the Program

Our Keynote Speaker –Professor Katherine Pearson

Katherine C. Pearson is a Professor of Law and the Arthur L. and Sandra S.

Piccone Faculty Scholar at Penn State Dickinson Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Her scholarship focuses on laws and policies connected to aging.

She has frequently included age-related issues in her teaching of courses on

contract law, conflicts of law and nonprofit organizations law. She is a regular

speaker  for continuing education programs, both for consumers and lawyers, to  address cutting edge concerns in consumer protection for older adults.

Professor Pearson is the author of articles and chapters on access to justice,

senior  living options including continuing care and life plan communities,  longterm-care financing and filial obligations, and is the co-author of a  treatise, The law of financial abuse and exploitation (Bisel 2011). She  authored chapters for the Research handbook on law, society, and  ageing, published in 2024 as part of a series on law and society  handbooks offered by international publisher Edward Elgar.

She is a 2024-2025 Fulbright Scholar in Canada and was in residence at the

University of Ottawa in the Fall of 2024 as the Research Chair in Health Law,

Policy and Ethics. Her earlier experience as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar (based at

the Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and working in Ireland,

Portugal, and the U.K. in 2009-10), resulted in publications, including an article

with an international, historical perspective on ethical concerns for attorneys

representing older adults, entitled The Lesson of the Irish Family Pub, published by Stetson Law Review.

She is a frequent writer and editor for the Elder Law Prof Blog, which is about to have a new “home” on LexBlog.com.

For more information regarding her expertise in elder law, click on this link.

The Mirabella Host Committee of Nickie Askov, Mary Baroni, Susan Dillon,

Carol Pugh, and Mandy Wertz is looking forward to welcoming you for this

thought provoking and lively meeting.

 If you aren’t a member of WACCRA, consider joining now