The Buzz

Earlier this month Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) welcomed six new members to its Board of Directors, including our Vice President of Programs, Equity, and Community Impact Rigo Saborio. Learn more.

Learn about the advocacy efforts at Marin County Aging Action Initiative (AAI) in our inaugural Regional Coalition feature story. AAI is part of the California Advocacy Network, a statewide movement involving nearly 1,000 organizations who serve more than 95 percent of California’s population. Explore the Regional Coalition profiles.

A new brief from AARP Public Policy Institute presents the vision and framework for the 2023 Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard. The brief discusses AARP’s approach to the 2023 edition of the Scorecard, reflects on changes since the Scorecard was first published in 2011, and considers how future editions may best meet today’s needs.

This National Family Caregivers Month, The SCAN Foundation salutes the tremendous contributions that family caregivers provide to older adults and people with disabilities.

Nearly everyone will be a caregiver or need a caregiver in their lifetime. Currently, 53 million people in America are unpaid caregivers—providing physical, emotional, social, and financial support to family, friends, and neighbors. They are the “invisible backbone” of U.S. health care, spending roughly $7,000/year on out-of-pocket caregiving costs, such as household and medical expenses. An earlier report found that caregivers’ estimated 34 billion hours of unpaid care translated to an estimated economic value of $470 billion.

California had 6.7 million adult caregivers in 2020, and 1 in 4 adults provided at least 20 hours/week of caregiving. Nearly 3 in 5 were women, 3 in 5 were 45 years of age or older, and 4 in 5 were white or Latino. Further, we see communities of color living in multigenerational settings (or households) more often than whites, which suggests that these families are more likely to provide unpaid caregiving across the generations.

Family caregivers are the unsung heroes of health care and deserve more recognition than just 30 days in November. Their service reinforces our commitment to lift their voices—like Sandy, a woman caring for her proud veteran father, and ensuring he can age at home surrounded by his friends and community.

Similarly, Grace cares for her parents. She adjusts as her parents’ needs change to ensure they can keep doing what they like to do. Simultaneously, she is thinking about how she can obtain support and maintain her own well-being.

Though Angela moved into an assisted living facility to be supported with her daily living needs, her granddaughter Sarah continues to provide emotional and social support.

We pledge to continue to advance efforts for every state to develop a Master Plan for Aging that includes the needs of family caregivers—like paid leave, multilingual training resources, virtual care options, and other supports. So what can you do today?

• Start important conversations about aging well with older adults in your life. Then when caregiving needs exist, you’ll know what matters most to them.
• Find your local AARP chapter to learn about family caregiver assistance and ongoing efforts to expand home- and community-based resources near you.

Throughout National Family Caregivers Month and every day, we must continue to shine a light on family caregivers. They deserve our deep appreciation, and our responsiveness to their wants and needs.

CA for ALL Ages & Abilities Day of Action brought together nearly 900 participants (in-person and virtual) representing advocates, providers, policymakers, and more. This event – supported in partnership with Archstone Foundation, Gary and Mary West Foundation, May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, Metta Fund, San Diego Foundation, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, and The SCAN Foundation – provided opportunities for stakeholders to hear and recommend key priorities of focus for the next two years.

The themes of equity and partnership were woven throughout the day and centered on continuing momentum for advancing the Master Plan for Aging(MPA). Access event recordings and materials and read Dr. Sarita Mohanty’s reflections on the day.

A Master Plan for Aging (MPA) lays out a roadmap to help states transform the infrastructure and coordination of services for their aging populations and people with disabilities. The Center for Health Care Strategies outlines the principles essential to MPA development and shares examples of best practices. Learn about the unexpected benefits of an MPA and how to get started.

An Investigative Reporting Program article, originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle last month, takes a deeper look at many older adults’ inadequate access to home- and community-based services and affordable housing.

The Better Care Playbook provides evidence-based research and promising practices for improving complex care. Read the latest blog on measuring equity during people’s inpatient hospital experiences, stratifying by race and ethnicity, language preference, and social risk.

ADvancing States and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) home- and community-based (HCBS) Technical Assistance Collective announced a third phase of technical assistance (TA) to state Medicaid programs to facilitate and expedite state implementation of the ARPA HCBS Funding Initiative. This is the largest investment in HCBS systems capacity in 40 years. Interested states must complete the online application by October 25.

Recent analyses by NORC at the University of Chicago explored the financial challenges likely faced by middle-income older adults in California and nationally by 2033. Watch the related California-focused discussion that builds on NORC’s findings. Also, read our fact sheet, highlighting key investments within the California state budget.

More than one-third of older adults worry about paying for health care and long-term care. Middle-income older adults, coined the “forgotten middle,” are in the particularly precarious position of being ineligible for Medicaid assistance, yet still have difficulty affording out-of-pocket costs.

A new analysis from NORC at the University of Chicago looks at California’s middle-income, older adult population and forecasts that the state will have 1.6 million middle-income older adults (age 75 and older) in 2033, nearly half of which will be people of color. Findings show that half will struggle to pay for housing and care, even if those who own sell their homes.

Earlier this week, TSF, West Health, Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP), and expert guests discussed the challenges facing older Californians, the relationship of these findings to longstanding inequities, and potential policy opportunities. View the recording.

We partner with UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program to elevate issues affecting the lives of older adults. A recent CapRadio piece examined California’s affordable housing shortage through the lens of LGBTQ older adults.

Join TSF, along with West Health and Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP), to explore the demographic characteristics of California’s middle-income older adults and future challenges regarding health care and long-term care affordability. Register here.

The webinar will offer a local perspective that builds on the recent national findings from NORC at the University of Chicago. That research projected more than 11 million middle-income older adults may have insufficient resources to pay for long-term care and housing by 2033.

We recently hired three vice presidents from diverse sectors of health care to build out our executive team:

• Anika S. Heavener, Vice President of Innovation and Investments;
• Narda Ipakchi, Vice President of Policy; and
• Rigo A. Saborio, Vice President of Programs, Equity, and Community Impact.

The appointments conclude a broad executive search for proven, dynamic, and diverse leaders to advance TSF’s strategic priorities. Read more.

National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15, recognizes the achievements of Hispanics who have influenced and enriched our nation.

The SCAN Foundation (TSF) celebrates the tremendous contributions of Hispanic older adults to society. With earnings of more than $1 trillion each year and tax contributions of more than $252 billion, Hispanic individuals not only add significant value to the U.S. economy but also support and help fund social services and infrastructure that ultimately benefit all Americans. In addition, Hispanic Americans –  particularly Hispanic immigrants – continue to start and lead their own businesses at higher rates than the rest of the population.

We are proud to partner with experts serving this vibrant community and directly engage with Hispanic older adults to inform our vision and mission.

This year’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month – Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation –  inspires us to work hard to advance inclusivity and achieve true health equity. While Hispanics positively impact our nation, they continue to experience disparities and inequities. Research we funded at The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston found significant disparities in older adults’ experiences based on race, ethnicity, income, and other demographic factors. One-third of older adults reported that their preferences were never or only sometimes considered, with Hispanics being twice as likely to say that the system does not account for their preferences. When preferences are ignored, older adults are more likely to forgo medical care and report lower satisfaction with their health care. We must work harder to ensure that person-centered care includes everyone’s needs.

TSF is committed to ensuring health equity and innovation are at the center of the aging experience. As such, a critical part of our mission is uplifting the voices and priorities of Hispanic older adults. Co-funding alongside the California Health Care Foundation, we are soon embarking on an effort with Community Catalyst to elevate the diverse voices of dual eligible beneficiaries (those who have both Medicare and Medicaid), including Hispanic dual eligibles. We will learn what matters most to them and determine which health care and nonmedical supports are unavailable in their communities. This effort will be an initial step in transforming the information infrastructure behind policy and practice decisions and producing better total health outcomes for diverse populations.

These and other grantee organizations are working with TSF to address inequities in the U.S. health care and long-term services and supports systems. Let us celebrate Hispanic voices this month and every month to achieve better aging for all.

Our latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll indicates that most U.S. adults think private health insurers (60%) and Medicare (57%) should have a large responsibility for paying for the costs of long-term care, and about half think the same about Medicaid (53%).

Also, majorities of Black and Hispanic adults are very or extremely concerned about having access to high-quality health care when they need it. Read the press release and article.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) included one-time funding for states to expand and enhance home and community-based services (HCBS) including modernizing infrastructure and expanding benefits. ADvancing States released two related papers on ARPA initiatives: one on increasing wages and career opportunities for direct service workers and another on expanding access to enabling technology.

New findings from NORC at the University of Chicago indicate that more than 11 million middle-income older adults – coined the “forgotten middle” – may have insufficient resources to pay for long-term care and housing by 2033. According to the research, the numbers of middle-income older adults will almost double over the next decade, and the population will be more racially and ethnically diverse. Read the press release.

UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program shares the challenges experienced by older adults living in community and encourages dialogue around potential solutions. In a video published by The San Francisco Standard, the reporter examines the affordable housing crisis in the Bay Area.

Purchaser Business Group on Health, in partnership with the Integrated Health Care Association, evaluated provider performance across several risk types using a variety of clinical person-centered measures. They discovered “full risk” provider groups, those with more flexibility in population management, slightly outperform those provider groups with “partial risk” in achieving person-centered care.

It’s a summer of growth for The SCAN Foundation. We are privileged to announce two recent Foundation hires.

Senior Policy Analyst Michelle Matter, EdD, MBA, MAG, brings more than 20 years of experience in state government, higher education, and the nonprofit aging sector. She looks forward to digging into TSF priorities and was most recently chosen as an ASA RISE Fellow, which seeks to create a diverse leadership pool that improves policies and programs at the local, state, and national levels.

In her 19 years providing high-quality C-suite level support, Senior Executive Assistant Kenya Metoyer has achieved project goals through superior planning and problem-solving. Kenya has worked in various industries, including advertising, health care, gaming, and financial services. She looks forward to assisting TSF’s Executive Leadership Team.

We partner with UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program to build awareness on aging and elevate how a variety of issues affect the lives of older adults. A recent Inside Climate News feature shares how a pilot program in California is helping communities with older adults prepare for wildfires and other climate disasters by training in-home caregivers.

Join us in Sacramento on September 20 for a day of activities, including conversations with national and state leaders in aging and disability, presentations by the Master Plan for Aging (MPA) stakeholder committees, and interactive discussions about MPA priorities for future years.