News on transforming care for older adults
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?
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.
A new Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) resource shares facts about California’s older adult population and steps the state is taking to advance health and transform aging.
Join the related ITUP webinar tomorrow, October 27, at 1 pm PT for a discussion on new services and supports offered to California’s older adult population and dual eligible beneficiaries, and how these services align with the Master Plan for Aging.
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.
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.
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.
This year we celebrate the City of West Hollywood for its Aging in Place, Aging in Community initiative, designed to help the city embrace aging and be a place that people can enjoy across the lifespan. Dr. Mohanty enjoyed presenting the Innovation Award to the City Council and Mayor earlier this week.
Watch a video about the winner and see the honorable mentions.
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.
California’s 2022-23 enacted budget addresses longstanding system challenges for older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers. Read our fact sheet to learn about key investments, including the continued investment for implementing the Master Plan for Aging.
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.
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.
Hear about the experience and impact of complex care directly from individuals, providers, and payers in videos developed by The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs and Center for Health Care Strategies. Also, learn how to talk about complex care through a related messaging guide and recorded webinar.
Our 2022 award will recognize an organization that has demonstrated innovation in implementing a local Master Plan for Aging (MPA).
Calling all California local leaders: How are you using the MPA Local Playbook and building upon existing efforts with age-friendly models and initiatives? Apply by Tuesday, July 12!
Our TSF 2022 Innovation Award will recognize an organization that has demonstrated innovation in implementing a local Master Plan for Aging (MPA).
The award will highlight how a California city or county is using the MPA Local Playbook and how local leaders are building upon existing efforts with age-friendly models and initiatives. Learn more and apply by July 12!
