Cascade Connections Home Care has been providing quality in-home care in Whatcom County for over two decades. In 2025, that dedication was honored by Bellingham Herald readers who recognized Cascade Connections with a Cascades Best Silver Medal in the Home Care/Hospice category. The award is a big win for Home Care managers and caregivers who were pleased to see their behind-the-scenes work celebrated in the spotlight.
Cascade Connections has been supporting people with disabilities to enhance their quality of life since 1980, starting with a group home in Lynden. In 2002, the Home Care program was founded to ensure people with disabilities living in our community had access to quality care. Over time, Cascade Connections expanded their home care services—initially to include individuals with traumatic brain injury and children with developmental disabilities, and eventually, in 2014, seniors and other community members.
What Makes Cascade Connections Unique
Unlike most local Home Care providers, Cascade Connections is a nonprofit. That means their services might look a little different than some of their for-profit competitors. Cascade Connections’ programs are mission-driven and community-focused, which results in greater accessibility and transparency. Cascade Connections’ nonprofit status also allows their Home Care program to prioritize client wellbeing, emphasizing personalized care and community programs over profit.
Home care services range from personal care, which encompasses daily routines such as bathing, dressing, eating, and remembering medications, to housekeeping, including shopping, cleaning, and transportation to medical appointments. They also provide companionship care, supporting clients with hobbies, community outings, and even conversation. Finally, care for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is also available.
Cascade Connections Home Care works with a network of medical providers and state organizations to coordinate services for their clients. Many of their clients receive state funding for services, but many other clients pay for services out of pocket. Because those costs can add up quickly, Cascade Connections conducted an internal review to see how to keep their services affordable. As a result, in July of 2025, a tiered rate pricing scale was introduced. This new pay scale effectively lowers the cost of services for individuals who require the most significant amount of care.
Caregiving is More Than a Job
When Home Care Program Director Alyssa Jackson joined the Home Care department, it was still the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Due to staffing shortages, they had to cut back on many of their clients. By the end of 2023, when she stepped into the role of Home Care Program Director, the program had completely rebounded to pre-pandemic staffing and client numbers. There are many reasons for the successful rebound, but one that might surprise you is the age of the management team. “We have an incredibly young management team. It’s seven people, and we’re all in our 20s,” Jackson says.
“Some people might doubt that young people can run part of a company, but we’ve really stepped up with new ideas, new ways to promote and new ways to take care of people. I think that’s why we’re getting this acknowledgement now,” she says. “Having younger people in the office and working with older people, everybody learns how to adapt to other people’s perspectives, and you get the best of both worlds.”
One member of the management team, Program Coordinator Lauren Bredeson, always knew she wanted to work in healthcare, but she wasn’t sure exactly what that would look like until she experienced the effect of healthcare workers in her own life.
“My grandpa had ALS, and seeing the kind of impact that caregivers had on my family really motivated me to become a caregiver and help to manage that side of things. As a manager, I can support the client’s family in a way that I know would have helped my family,” she says. “And I’m also able to support the staff member that’s taking care of the client, and I like coming full circle with that.”
For most of the staff, this commitment to service started early. Home Care Program Director Alyssa notes, “I started caregiving at a summer camp for people with disabilities when I was 16, and some people from Cascade Connections were working there too. They told me that when I graduate, there’s a really cool job that I could do that’s similar, but in a more formal work setting.” These personal experiences mean caregiving is more than just a job for the employees of Cascade Connections Home Care—it’s a calling.
Needs in Whatcom County
Quality home care services have never been more essential, especially in Whatcom County, which recently became one of several counties in Washington where people 65 years and older now outnumber youth under 18. According to recent data, over 90% of adults aged 65 and older would prefer to age in place, meaning they would like to remain in their current homes as long as possible. Cascade Connections Home Care aims to extend the independence of the people they support, whether that’s by providing short-term care after a medical emergency or procedure, or longer-term support with day-to-day tasks.
Cascade Connections will also soon be able to utilize the Washington Cares Fund to cover their services. The Cares Act is the nation’s first long-term insurance benefits program that workers pay into automatically. Beginning in 2026, clients will be able to use those tax dollars to cover home care services.
Home Care Services Benefit People of All Ages, at Every Stage of Life
Currently, Cascade Connections Home Care has about 40 healthcare professionals on staff and provides support to around 60 clients. Most clients receive around 10 hours of care per week, but one client receives 24-hour support. The team provides over 1,200 hours of caregiving services each week, and their dedication is reflected in the individual successes their clients achieve.
“I could talk for 45 minutes about each client. I see people come out of depression, I see people getting a support system to leave an abusive relationship, and I see them able to give their pets better care,” Lauren Bredeson says. “We see people do better in school, learn how to drive and stay independent in their homes with the help of our caregivers,” Bredeson continues. “They have this person who ends up becoming more like a trusted relationship, someone who’s constant in their life. It’s really cool that we get to be a part of that.”
Learn more about Cascade Connections’ award-winning home care service on their website.
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