Culminating Assignment:

A Resource List for Older Asian American Immigrants

By Alda Sarmiento
Western Washington University

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background Information
Discussion of Population
Introduction of Resource List
Housing/Living Options
Related Services
Reference Page

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
My Project
For my Culminating Assignment, I created a Resource List for older minorities in Whatcom County. Initially, I had plans to
collaborate with a family member in California to find case managers that could place seniors into housing with compassionate
services. However, the plan fell through as communication became a big issues. With the deadline near, I decided to focus on a more
local community with relatively the same goal. Because of the broad concentration that I had originally started off with, I narrowed
down my attention to services specifically for the older Asian American immigrant population. In this, I found a few challenges that
altered the vision of my project. Nonetheless, I was able to navigate around the issue and develop this Resource List.

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DISCUSSION OF POPULATION
Research
In order to understand older Asian American immigrants, I needed to research what kind of problems that this population faces.
First, to be qualified as an Asian, the four peer-reviewed journals that I used listed the following ethnic groups: Chinese, Filipino,
Asian Indian, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese. Recurring themes between the journals were problems with language proficiency,
health literacy, access to healthcare, and immigration status. According to Nguyen (2012), Andersens behavioral model predicts
healthcare services based on an individuals environment, population characteristics, health behavior, and outcomes (Nguyen, 2012).
This applies to challenges with the older immigrant community as cultural variables factor into the resources available, affecting
access to healthcare services. Because of language barriers, the older Asian American population may lack awareness of available
services that could fit their needs (Sorkin, Nguyen, & Ngo-Metzger, 2011). As a problem for limited English proficiency (LEP)
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persons and seniors, they are also unable to understand the basic functions of health information and may not be able to make
appropriate health decisions. With that said, those with LEP have fewer sources to turn to (Green, Ngo-Metzger, Legedza, Massagli, &
Phipps, 2005). Other issues that this population experiences is the inability to apply for nursing homes with Medicaid without
citizenship; it may therefore be prohibitive to many non-citizens (Fuller-Thomson & Chi, 2012). As issues with immigration become
more prominent across senior housing facilities, one can see that there is a need for better access to care that is linguistically
appropriate and culturally sensitive (Fuller-Thomson & Chi, 2012).
Proposed Solutions
It is clear that stigmatization and institutionalization are present due to cultural barriers (Fuller-Thomson & Chi, 2012). With
the growing psychosocial needs of Asian American immigrants, old and new challenges like ethnic background, immigration status
and language proficiency are affecting their physical and mental health (Nguyen, 2012). That is why understanding how older Asian
Americans come into the healthcare system is important for social workers and other healthcare providers (Nguyen, 2012, p. 57) to
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know. Underutilized care is taking a toll on older adults (Sorkin et. al, 2011) and it is only just that training workshops sensitize staff
to cultural issues to improve services to potentially isolated and lonely non-English speakers (Fuller-Thomson & Chi, 2012, p.
3275). Immigration for older adults can be a very difficult transition and, having support and people who are able to speak in their
native tongue can ease the stress and lack of social interaction. Overall, it would be ideal if these types of resources were easily
accessible. However, to be realistic, it takes time to develop a sound structure that is able to balance the services for their needs.

Community Resources
Whatcom County has a variety of resources. However, it lacks in services for older Asian American immigrants. This was
demonstrated as I searched for housing specifically for this population. There were no residence facilities that catered their needs and
it was difficult to pinpoint any type of agency or caseworker relative to my focus group. I realized, however, that I needed to explore
Whatcom County using a broader lens than what I started off with. In that, I will elaborate my findings in the next section.

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INTRODUCTION OF RESOURCE LIST

In developing this Resource List, I encountered various obstacles. Because there were not as many services for older Asian
American immigrant populations as I had thought, I needed to approach this project differently. It was essential that I remember what
their needs were: language proficiency, immigration status, health literacy, and access to healthcare. Rather than finding an
organization that encompassed all that my focus group required, I looked into resources separately. What resulted from it was a guide
that includes eight senior housing facilities that range in services from financial stability to assisted living, two agencies that specialize
in home care, and fifteen related resources that primarily focus on the issues that older Asian American immigrants face with general
services for everyday living. Because I could not find many services that worked collaboratively to their needs, I thought that in
creating this Resource List that I would be able to provide what could not be given in even one facility. Later, you will find that

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Whatcom County recognizes the deficit of services relative to this population and understand that it is working on ways to make our
community better. Having said that, I hope you find interest in my work and recognize our need for development and accessible
services.

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HOUSING/LIVING OPTIONS
Agency/Caseworker
1. Bellingham Housing
Authorities

Information of Services
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) assistance ensures
accessibility to people with disabilities, certain elderly
individuals and people who face limited English proficiency
(LEP)
There will be a waitlist of applicants which will be filtered into
an application interview and completion process.

2. Mercy Housing (Sterling

Senior Community)

For people age 62 and older with incomes below 50% of the
area median income
Residents pay no more than 30% of their income on rent

Contact Info
Email:BellinghamHousing.info
@bwcha.org
Website:www.bellinghamhousin
g.org/
Address: 411 York St,
Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-676-6887
Email: info@mercyhousing.org
Website:www.mercyhousing.org
/washington-sterling-seniorcommunity
Address: 528 Sterling Dr,

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Bellingham 98226
Phone: 360-715-2304
3. Northwest Regional
Council

Aging & Disability Resources include in-home care, medical

insurance, Medicaid, caregiver support, housing, long-term
care options, and general resources
Supports dignity, independence, and health of older adults and
people with disabilities

Email:ADRCwhatcom@dshs.wa
.gov
Website: www.nwrcwa.org/
Address: 600 Lakeway Dr, Suite
100 Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-676-6749

Services are free for people over 60, and for people with
disabilities
4. Brookdale Fairhaven

Provides services for retirement, nursing & rehab, and assisted

living

Website:www.brookdale.com/co
mmunities/emeritus-fairhaven/
Email:
https://www.brookdale.com/cont
act-us/
Address: 2600 Old Fairhaven
Pkwy Bellingham 98225

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Phone: 360-647-1254
5. Spring Creek

Specializes in retirement, assisted living, and Alzheimers;

there are also nursing homes and hospice care available
Flexible with the level or amount of needs a senior may have

6. Woodway Senior Living

7. Highgate Senior Living

Carefully outlines the needs and wants of their clients

Website:www.bonaventuresenior
.com/communities/springcreek/
Email:
administratorSPC@LiveBSL.co
m
Address: 223 East Bakerview
Rd Bellingham 98226
Phone: 360-756-2301

Offers retirement living, assisted living, respite care, and

additional care towards activities of daily living (ADLs) such
as grooming, medication reminders, or mobility

Website:www.woodwayseniorliv
ing.com/
Email: Not Available
Address: 1712 E Maplewood
Ave Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-312-4865

To help residents live a life of purpose and joy, the require

socially, mentally and physically enriching experiences like

Website:www.highgateseniorlivi
ng.com/assisted_living/Bellingha
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yoga, technology classes, special interest clubs, bible study, etc. m_WA/zip_98226/highgate_seni
It helps towards health-related benefits
or_living/3402
Email:
Also provides assisted and independent living, respite stays,
marcie.suppe@highgateseniorlivi
and memory care
ng.com
Address: 155 E. Kellogg Rd
Bellingham 98226
Phone: 360-312-4382
8. Whatcom Council on Aging

Provides a program called Low Income Senior Housing

Committed to finding ways to serve seniors who cannot afford
to pay for services
Also offers other programs such as Meals on Wheels,
Bellingham Senior Activity Center, Whatcom County Senior
Tour Program, and Bellingham at Home

9. Catholic Community
Services (Home Care)

If your loved one would rather stay at home, there are

homecare workers who do everything from housework to

Website:wccoa.org/index.php/H
ome/
Email: cbell@wccoa.org
Address: 315 Halleck St
Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-733-4030
Website:www.ccsww.org/site/Pa
geServer?

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personal care
Services are flexible; just a few hours a day or around the clock

10. Visiting Angels

Provides quality in-home care services with personalized care

plans for your loved one
They also work closely with Alzheimers and specify what
types of services are included with homecare

pagename=seniors_homecare
Email: info@ccsww.org
Address: Not Available
Phone: 877-870-1582
Website:www.visitingangels.co
m/assisted-senior-carebellingham-washington98226_122
Email:
www.visitingangels.com/contactus
Address: 4213 Rural Ave
Bellingham 98226
Phone: 1-800-365-4189

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RELATED SERVICES
Policy/Agency/Caseworker

Information of Services

1. Public Housing Agency

(PHA)

Recognizes there are limited resources for individuals whose

first language is not English within Whatcom County

*In progress

Works with persons of limited English proficiency (LEP) to

help them access services or information in a language other
than English
LEP persons are public housing applicants
Offers competent interpretation services free of charge

2. Bellingham/Whatcom

Utilizes a language line for telephone interpreter services

Contact Info
Website:bellinghamhousing.org/
Home/tabid/38/Default.aspx
Email:BellinghamHousing.info
@bwcha.org
Address: 208 Unity St
Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-676-6887
Policy can be located at:
http://www.bellinghamhousing.or
g/Portals/0/Website_Documents/
2015%20ACOP%20eff.%201-115.pdf
Website:bellinghamhousing.org/

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County Housing Authority

(BWCHA) Policy
*In progress

LEP persons are permitted to use, at their own expense, an

interpreter of their own choosing (can be a family member or
friend)
Assesses language needs and decides what reasonable steps
should be taken
Will train and hire bilingual staff to be available to act as
interpreters and translators
Offers written translation

Home/tabid/38/Default.aspx
Email:BellinghamHousing.info
@bwcha.org
Address: 411 York St
Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-676-6887
Policy can be located at:
http://www.bellinghamhousing.or
g/Portals/0/Website_Documents/
2015%20ACOP%20eff.%201-115.pdf

If few persons need services, BWCHA will not develop a

written LEP plan; rather, explore alternative ways to articulate
access
3. Whatcom County Health
Department

Offers services related health literacy such as community and

environmental health, and disease

Website:www.co.whatcom.wa.us
/360/Health-Department
Email:
health@whatcomcounty.us

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Address: 509 Girard St

Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-676-6724
4. Whatcom Alliance for
Their mission is to transform the current system into one that
Health Advancement (WAHA) improves health, reduces cost and improves the experience of
care
Promotes access to health care services
5. Interfaith Community
Health Center

Provides free, high quality primary health and medical care,

dental care, behavioral health and prescription medication to all
of Whatcom County

Website: whatcomalliance.org/
Email: waha@hinet.org
Address: 800 E Chestnut St,
Lower Level, Suite 2,
Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-788-6594
Website: www.interfaithchc.org/
Email:gib_clarke@interfaithchc.
org
Address:
220 Unity St Bellingham 98225
(medical/dental)
218 Unity St Bellingham 98225
(pharmacy)
1616 Cornwall Avenue
Bellingham 98225 (behavioral

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health)
Phone: 360-676-6177
6. The Language Exchange

This language company provides fast, accurate, and

Website:languageexchangeinc.c
confidential translations to various counties including Whatcom om/
Email: langex@langex.com
On-site interpretation (spoken and sign) and Over The Phone
Address: 716 E. Fairhaven Ave
Interpretation (OPI)
Burlington 98233
Phone: 360-755-9910
Offers services for over 30 languages including 5 or more Asian
languages

7. Bellingham (United States)

Language Exchange

A space where one can communicate with others learning

foreign languages
Enables practice through face-to-face conversation exchange,
exchange by protected emails (pen pals), practice of written
conversation (text chat) or voice chat
May be useful if language barriers are an issue and can
encourage immigrants to learn the English language

Website:www.mylanguageexcha
nge.com/city/Bellingham__Unite
d_States.asp
Email:www.mylanguageexchang
e.com/ContactUs.asp
Address: #415-725 King St W
Toronto, Ontario M5V 2W9
Canada

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Phone: 514-448-0588
8. Whatcom Literacy Council - Specific to non-English speakers
English Language Learner
Services include English reading, writing, listening, and
(ELL)
speaking skills
Tutoring is done two times a week and can be customized and
confidential
This helps towards U.S. citizenship and contributes to other life
goals
9. Ambassador Passport and
Visa Services Inc.

Has a wide scope of translators, interpreters and coordinators

Can professionally translate legal, medical, finance, insurance
and technical documents as well as Birth Certificates, Marriage
and Divorce Certificates into over 50 languages
Can interpret at least 4 Asian languages

Website:whatcomliteracy.org/en
glish-language-learner/
Email:
info@whatcomliteracy.org
Address: 3028 Lindbergh Ave,
Building A Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-752-8678

Website:www.ambassadorpassp
ortandvisa.com/index.html
Email: info@ambpv.com
Address: 2811 Wilshire Blvd.
Ste. 720 Santa Monica, CA
90403
Phone: 310-828-7878

Bellingham is only one of many translation services it has

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10. Northwest Immigrant

Rights Project

Provides immigration legal services to advance the human

rights and well-being of low-income immigrants and refugees

Website: www.nwirp.org/
Email: Not Available
Address: Not Available
Phone: 206-587-4009 or 1-800445-5771

11. Cascadia Cross-Border

Law

It practices effective, efficient, and ethical immigration-related

legal services

Website: www.cascadia.com/
Email:
gdboos@americanlaw.com
Address: 1305 11th St, Suite 301
Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-676-5459

Serves a variety of clients: business executives, entrepreneurs,

professionals, artists, entertainers, managers, etc.
Services include permanent immigration (via family or
employments), temporary business immigration, and
expatriation to the US
12. Millar & Perez
Immigration Lawyers

They are dedicated to serving people who wish to immigrate to

the U.S. and can handle complex matters related to business,
and family-based U.S. immigration and visa cases

Website: www.usborderlaw.com/
Email:www.usborderlaw.com/C
ontact.aspx
Address: 909 Harris Ave Suite
201H Bellingham 98225

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Phone: 360-200-7270
13. Congressman Rick Larsen
(Visas and Immigration)

Offers a number of resources on the website provided that may Website:larsen.house.gov/helpin

be useful for general questions, legal advice, immigration visas, g-you/visas-and-immigration
permanent residency, and citizenship
Email:larsen.house.gov/contactrick
Address: 119 N Commercial St
Suite 1350 Bellingham 98225
Phone: 360-733-4500 (toll) or
800-562-1385 (free)

14. Opportunity Council

Aims to increase self-sufficiency and create positive change for

the unemployed or low-income

15. Whatcom Transportation

Authority (WTA)

Specializes in transportation services

Website: www.oppco.org/
Email: info@oppco.org
Address: 1111 Cornwall Ave
Services include assistance with basic needs, food and nutrition,
Bellingham 98225
housing, and transportation
Phone: 360-734-5121 or 800649-5121
Website: www.ridewta.com/
Email: comment@ridewta.com
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Online it provides schedules and maps, lists of its types of

services, and information about fares and passes

Address: 4111 Bakerview Spur

Bellingham 98226
Phone: 360-676-RIDE

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REFERENCES
Fuller-Thomson, E., & Chi, Monica. (2012). Older asian americans and pacific islanders with activities of daily living (ADL)
limitations: Immigration and other factors associated with institutionalization. International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, 9(9), 3264-79. doi: 10.3390/ijerph9093264
Green, A., & Ngo-Metzger, Q., & Legedza, A., & Massagli, M., & Phillips, R., & Iezzoni, L. (2005). Interpreter services, language
concordance, and health care quality. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20(11), 1050-6. doi: 10.1111/j.15251497.2005.0223.x
Nguyen, D. (2012). The effects of sociocultural factors on older asian americans access to care. Journal of Gerontological Social
Work, 55(1), 55-71. doi: 10.1080/01634372.2011.618525
Public Housing Authority. (2014). Administrative and continued occupancy policy. Retrieved from

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http://www.bellinghamhousing.org/Portals/0/Website_Documents/2015%20ACOP%20eff.%201-1-15.pdf
Sorkin, D., & Nguyen, H., & Ngo-Metzger, Q. (2011). Assessing the mental health needs and barriers to care among a diverse sample
of asian american older adults. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 26(6), 595-602. doi: 10.1007/s11606-010-1612-6
[Untitled illustration of a library]. Retrieved on May 24, 2015 from
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1266427/images/o-YA-BOOKS-facebook.jpg
[Untitled illustration of open books]. Retrieved on May 24, 2015 from
http://thinkpyxl.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Books.jpg

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