OLYMPIA – A bill establishing stronger regulations to protect residents of memory care facilities passed the Senate unanimously Tuesday.

Senate Bill 5337, sponsored by Sen. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines), would require the Department of Social and Health Services to develop, implement, and oversee a new memory care certification. The bill prohibits anyone without certification from operating or maintaining a memory care facility or unit in Washington.

“When you place a parent or loved one into a memory care facility, you deserve peace of mind knowing they will be given an adequate level of care by trained professionals,” Orwall said. “Right now, assisted living facilities are not required to have a specialized plan for offering proper care to those struggling with dementia. Our families and seniors are suffering, and they deserve better.”

To qualify for the new certification, assisted living facilities (ALFs) must meet specific requirements, including personalized care, appropriate resident programming, and a secure outdoor area. They must also establish protocols for addressing challenges facilities and providers face when caring for those with dementia.

Adequate staffing requires 24-hour awake staff, trained in dementia care, at levels sufficient to meet residents’ assessed needs. Certified ALFs must also submit a publicly available disclosure form detailing staffing levels per bed in the memory care facility.

“After placing my mother in memory care, I saw how poorly our loved ones are treated in some of these facilities,” said Teresa Matthews, a concerned constituent who worked with Orwall on the bill. “Facilities are understaffed, caregivers are improperly trained, and there is no transparency. Families are so anguished, so grief stricken, because their loved ones are being left to suffer, or die, alone.”

Uncertified ALFs could be fined up to $10,000 and required to stop accepting new memory care residents if they improperly identify or promote themselves as memory care facilities.

The bill now moves to the House for consideration. Follow its progress here.