SEATTLE — It began as an idea nearly 40 years ago.
"In 1985 there was a group of Chinese residents get together and try to figure out what the community needed and determined that we need to provide senior care for Asian immigrants," said Ketty Hsieh, Kin On’s Chief Executive Officer.
That need became Kin On - the country's first bilingual Chinese-American nursing home.
"Kin On in Chinese, in Cantonese, means healthy and safe. So that's what we strive for to provide the care to the seniors to keep them healthy and safe," Hsieh said.
"We have assisted living, we have assisted living building and also adult family home here on the same campus that we're located right here," said Hsieh. “We also provide long-term care. We have seniors who, because of certain medical conditions, stay here for a long period."
Even the meals they serve embrace Asian heritage.
"[For] Asians, Chinese especially, food is everything. So especially Asian seniors, they really like to have the food they're more comfortable with," Hsieh said.
Over the years Kin On has grown far beyond its initial vision.
"We also have home care," said Hsieh. "Home care is where our certified personal home care aide, will go care for our clients at their home. So the whole idea is that we wanted to allow the seniors to age well at home as long as they can."
Providing culturally relevant care for Asian seniors is why Providence Swedish has been behind Kin On’s mission for years.
"They are one of our great supporters. They have been funding us in our community. They are I think, their foundation, of supporting community,” said Hsieh. "But also Swedish Hospital they're one of the biggest referral sources for us for admissions as well. So we worked really, really closely with Swedish Providence."
"There are gaps in our healthcare system. And they leave many people behind, especially our senior immigrant population," said Jae Lim, Program Manager at Providence-Swedish. "That's where organizations like Kin On come in. Kin On totally understand the cultural and linguistic need of these patients and individuals and they're ensuring quality health care is provided to these patients."
Culture, community, and caring - Kin On wants to make Asian elders' golden years as healthy as can be.
Sponsored by Providence Swedish
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