Madison House

This is a factual overview of Madison House, a 100-bed assisted living in Kirkland licensed by Washington DSHS (#2436) — what the record confirms, what it costs in the area, and how to evaluate it.

How Washington regulates assisted livings

In Washington, assisted living is licensed by DSHS (ALTSA / Residential Care Services) under RCW 18.20 and WAC 388-78A. A facility's license can include endorsements — such as Specialized Dementia Care — that let residents stay as needs increase. Always verify the exact license and endorsements; they determine how long your parent can remain as care needs grow.

Kirkland location & hospital context

Kirkland is an affluent waterfront Eastside city of about 95,000 on Lake Washington, with a walkable downtown, an established older population near Juanita and Houghton, and the large EvergreenHealth medical campus at Totem Lake.

Nearby hospitals: EvergreenHealth Kirkland, Overlake Medical Center (Bellevue, nearby), UW Medical Center–Northwest (Seattle, nearby). Proximity matters for hospital discharges, emergencies, and specialist visits, so families weighing Madison House often factor drive time to these. Nearby areas: Downtown Kirkland, Juanita, Totem Lake, Houghton, Rose Hill.

What assisted living costs near Madison House

Assisted Living in the Kirkland area typically runs $6,200–$8,750/month (2026). Pricing at any specific provider depends on care level, room type, and size. Washington's Apple Health (Medicaid) with the COPES waiver and VA Aid & Attendance can offset much of the care cost for those who qualify — ask us what applies.

How to evaluate Madison House

The strongest signals of quality at an assisted living community are staffing and transparency, not amenities. Find out the awake-overnight staffing level, the caregiver turnover rate, and the tenure of key leaders. Ask for an itemized, all-in monthly cost for your parent's specific care level, and what triggers a move to a higher (more expensive) tier. Probe how the community handles a decline — a fall, new incontinence, or memory changes — and how it communicates with families. Visit more than once, unannounced, at different times of day, and check the DSHS inspection and enforcement history on the fortress.wa.gov lookup for a pattern of repeat deficiencies before you commit.

Is Madison House the right fit?

Assisted living fits an older adult who needs daily help — bathing, dressing, medication reminders, meals — but does not require round-the-clock skilled nursing. It's the most common first move when living alone stops being safe. Madison House is licensed for this level of care in Kirkland; whether it's right for your parent depends on their specific needs, budget, and preferences. A free advisor can compare it head-to-head with other licensed Kirkland-area options.

What's typically included at a assisted living like this

Usually included: housing, three meals daily, 24/7 awake staff, housekeeping, laundry, scheduled transportation, social and wellness programming, and a basic care plan. Typically billed separately: medication management above a basic tier, two-person transfers, incontinence care, on-site hospice coordination, and one-on-one aide hours. Ask Madison House for an itemized monthly rate sheet so you can compare it honestly against other Kirkland options.

Questions to ask when you tour Madison House

• How fast can staff respond to a call button at night?
• What would trigger a move to a higher care level?
• What's the true all-in monthly cost for our parent's needs?
• How are falls and med changes communicated to family?
• How long have caregivers worked here on average?

Common questions about Madison House

How Kirkland families actually pay for care

Very few families cover senior care from a single source. In Kirkland, the typical plan layers several of these, often shifting over a multi-year stay:

1. Personal savings & Social Security. Most Puget Sound families self-fund the first 12–24 months from savings, pensions, and monthly Social Security before tapping other sources.
2. Long-term-care insurance. If a policy is in force, it can cover a large share of assisted living or home care — check the elimination period and daily benefit cap. Washington's WA Cares Fund also provides a state long-term-care benefit for eligible workers.
3. VA Aid & Attendance. Eligible wartime veterans and surviving spouses can receive roughly $1,800–$2,900/month toward care — a major lever in a metro served by VA Puget Sound (Seattle and the American Lake campus in Lakewood).
4. Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) long-term care. Washington's Apple Health long-term care — delivered in the community through the COPES waiver, administered by DSHS Home and Community Services — covers personal care and many community-based services for those who qualify by income and assets. Adult family homes are a common low-cost, Medicaid-contracted setting.
5. Home equity. Selling the family home or a reverse mortgage frequently funds sustained care once a parent has moved.
6. Family cost-sharing. Siblings often split the monthly gap; a written agreement keeps it fair and durable.

Because Kirkland assisted living can run into the thousands per month, mapping the funding plan early — before a crisis — often saves a family tens of thousands of dollars. A free local advisor can tell you which of these you qualify for and which Kirkland providers accept Apple Health (the COPES waiver).

Washington programs worth knowing about

In Washington, senior-care facilities are licensed and inspected by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) through ALTSA / Residential Care Services — verify any license and inspection history free at fortress.wa.gov/dshs/adsaapps/lookup. Service funding flows through the local Area Agency on Aging; the Seattle metro's are Aging and Disability Services (ADS) for King County, Homage Senior Services for Snohomish, and Aging & Disability Resources of Pierce County. Long-term-care help runs through Apple Health (Medicaid) and the COPES waiver, and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman plus DSHS Adult Protective Services protect residents. Our advisors help families use all of these at no cost.

How we help with Madison House

We're a free, local senior-care advisory service — families never pay us. If Madison House is on your shortlist, we can tell you how it compares to nearby licensed options on cost, care level, and availability, join the tour or the call, and help you read the DSHS record. We only earn anything if you choose to move in somewhere and are glad you did, so our incentive is a genuine fit, not a particular building. We'll also flag good alternatives in Kirkland that don't compensate us.

About this page: the facility facts above come from current Washington DSHS (ALTSA / Residential Care Services) licensing data. We don't publish unverified reviews or ratings — we share the public record and help you evaluate the provider in person. Confirm the current license at fortress.wa.gov/dshs/adsaapps/lookup before you sign anything.