The Buzz

Building on the opportunity for further coordination and greater impact to address racial and ethnic disparities, our United for Health Equity in Aging Summit convened the aging and disability sectors with the racial equity and social justice movements for a day of informative panels and energizing dialogue.

The TSF event was rooted in the lived experience of older adults from marginalized communities and we were honored to have several of them join us in person.

Materials from the Summit, including older adult video stories and a photo gallery are now available, as well as a full livestream recording. Take a look!

TSF champions Multisector Plans for Aging (MPA) in California, as well as at the regional and local levels. See the latest.

STATE

• As the state’s MPA implementation advances, the Little Hoover Commission is reviewing efforts to ensure accountability and progress toward MPA goals. TSF President and CEO Sarita A. Mohanty recently testified before the Commission to highlight successes and continued priorities. Read her testimony and watch the recording. A second hearing is scheduled for August 24 at 9:30 am PT.

LOCAL

• We launched a two-year rural MPA initiative, funding three members of the California Advocacy Network to develop local MPAs. Early findings from this work were highlighted in Generations, a publication of the American Society on Aging.
• Visit California’s Data Dashboard for Aging for a map of age-friendly communities reporting activity around developing local MPAs.

Health disparities among older adults are further exacerbated for individuals from historically marginalized communities. Efforts to address racial and ethnic disparities in aging exist, but there is an opportunity for further coordination and greater impact.

Last week, we held our inaugural United for Health Equity in Aging Summit, convening the aging and disability sectors with the racial equity and social justice movements. Panels were informative, conversations were energizing, and the stories shared by older adults throughout the day grounded us.

We’re still reflecting! Materials and next steps from the meeting will be shared in the coming weeks. Until then, learn about the Advancing Health Equity in Aging initiative and meet individuals from the movement.

Last year The SCAN Foundation joined in the celebration of Juneteenth, recognizing its profound importance for Black people in the United States. We are committed to centering the experiences of older Black adults and all people of color – elevating their voices and perspectives as we pursue equity and transformative systems change.

We’ve continued our evolution as an organization – finalizing a strategic plan that prioritizes efforts to improve the lives of people from Black communities and all older people of color. We’ve launched our first public expression of this goal with our Advancing Health Equity in Aging initiative.

Although important health equity conversations are being had, aging is often overlooked. The initiative aims to reduce health inequities and improve the lives of older adults from historically marginalized communities. Launched in October 2022, we are harmonizing efforts by activating and sustaining a diverse, cross-sector network of leaders and accelerators – Equity Community Organizing (ECO) Groups – to develop and design solutions targeting the specific drivers of poor health outcomes. Simultaneously, we’re dedicated to engaging those with lived experience at each phase of the work.

As a philanthropic organization, we recognize the privilege we carry and its ability to effect change. Although we’ve asserted ourselves in past efforts, this initiative is different as it has been built from the ground up. We recognize that power must be shared with community, and that community is more than capable of explaining what it needs and identifying levers to improve health and well-being.

This Juneteenth, we honor Black older adults; we are listening to community; and we are honing our plans for long overdue efforts. We hope you’ll follow the work.

Earlier this year, The SCAN Foundation’s Vice President of Policy Narda Ipakchi joined seven other U.S. leaders and met with peers in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore to learn about innovative global efforts to advance health care delivery and equity.

How can we translate these insights and get more creative within our U.S. system? A recent piece about the trip is a New York Times guest essay by trip participant Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS, Chief Health Officer of Indiana University.

This month, on behalf of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, The SCAN Foundation celebrates the rich contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders to the history and culture of our nation.

The 2023 theme, Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity, is apt.

Although the first documented arrival of Asians in America was 1587 when Filipinos arrived in California, May was chosen as the time for commemoration in 1978, aligning with the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843. Additionally, May marks the date of the transcontinental railroad being completed on May 10, 1869. Most of the workers who laid the tracks for this enormous and often dangerous undertaking were immigrants from China.

We appreciate the overlay of the celebratory heritage month with Older Americans Month and seek to elevate AAPI leaders contributing to the aging, equity, and health care sectors. Come along with us on social media throughout the month as we elevate the contributions, influences, and impacts of AAPI individuals.

“There aren’t enough days in a year for us to recognize the contributions of the many individuals from the AAPI communities that we’d like to,” said Rigo J. Saborio, MSG, Vice President of Programs, Equity, and Community Impact. “Though we can’t name everyone, through this exercise we hope to acknowledge and honor a select group of leaders working and contributing so diligently to improve services and supports so we can all age well.”

TSF and our grantees are headed to Atlanta for the annual conference of the American Society on Aging (ASA). Check out where you can find us and register for On Aging 2023.

• Join TSF Vice President of Programs, Equity, and Community Impact Rigo Saborio and a distinguished set of speakers for a preconference workshop to unpack how a state can start and build momentum for a Multisector Plan for Aging. Hear strategies for building cross-agency collaboration and centering equity, learn how to engage diverse stakeholders, get guidance on tracking data and measuring success, and find out lessons learned from other states. (March 27)
• Why a Multisector Plan for Aging? States Share Their Unique Approaches and Tools. In this session, leaders from three states that are participating in an Multisector Plan for Aging (MPA) Learning Collaborative will describe where they are in their development process as well as their unique strategies for MPA development. This includes cross-sector planning and broad consumer and stakeholder engagement, using data, messaging, and more. (March 28)
• Building Partnerships to Deliver Medicare Advantage Nonmedical Benefits. Megan Burke, TSF Program Officer for Policy and Advocacy, will provide opening remarks during this session designed to present the latest trends in nonmedical benefits and illustrate the value and scope of innovative, collaborative partnerships to best deliver the benefits in a person-centered, tailored way within diverse communities across the country. (March 30)

Last week, the Alliance for Health Policy held a webinar to discuss telehealth policy and other considerations for using the public health emergency (PHE) flexibilities to improve person-centered, equitable care for adults. Watch the recording, as well as access the transcript and presentation.

The related PHE Flexibilities Roadmap for Policymakers resources supported by TSF and released earlier this year provide concrete and consensus-driven recommendations to federal and state policymakers on which temporary Medicare and Medicaid flexibilities should be made permanent.

Join Alliance for Health Policy this Friday for a webinar: Moving Beyond COVID-19: Considerations for Using PHE Flexibilities to Improve Person-Centered Care. The event will feature TSF leadership and a diverse panel of experts to discuss considerations for using the public health emergence (PHE) flexibilities to improve person-centered, equitable care for older adults.

This webinar further unpacks the PHE Flexibilities Roadmap for Policymakers resources supported by TSF and released earlier this year. The Roadmap provides concrete and consensus-driven recommendations to federal and state policymakers on which temporary Medicare and Medicaid flexibilities should be made permanent. View the related media advisory.

Join Alliance for Health Policy on Friday, March 3, at 9 am PT for a webinar: Moving Beyond COVID-19: Considerations for Using PHE Flexibilities to Improve Person-Centered Care. The event will feature TSF leadership and a diverse panel of experts to discuss considerations for using the PHE flexibilities to improve person-centered, equitable care for older adults.

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.

We are hitting the road. TSF will be in Las Vegas, Nevada, for HLTH 2022—health care’s leading innovation event. You are invited to hear about our future innovation and investments activities.

• November 14: Join TSF for a dessert bar at Sugarfina from 8-10 pm PT. Please request an invitation by contacting Gina Alferez at GAlferez@TheSCANFoundation.org.
• November 15: Meet our team at the ScaleHealth Pavilion from 2-3 pm PT.

Then it’s onto Charm City. Mission Investors Exchange National Conference (MIE) is the premier event for impact investors in philanthropy. Come discuss partnerships and investments, and hear from leading voices. Then join the TSF Innovation and Investments team for a dinner December 5, location TBD in Baltimore, Maryland. Contact Gina Alferez at GAlferez@TheSCANFoundation.org to request an invitation.

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.

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.

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.

The California Advocacy Network is a statewide movement involving nearly 1,000 organizations who serve more than 95 percent of California’s population. We’ve updated the profiles for each Regional Coalition to reflect their efforts to advance health care and supportive services, as well as support the Master Plan for Aging at the community level.

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.