On June 10, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling for the development of a Master Plan for Aging by October 1, 2020. The Master Plan is to be used by state government, local communities, private organizations and philanthropy to develop a healthy environment for aging California residents.
Today I missed a Master Plan open meeting because of a scheduling conflict. I mentioned this at a dinner and most people there (all seniors) were unaware that this important project was in development. I would encourage all seniors or people with seniors in their lives to take a look at the information under www.chhs.ca.gov/home/master-plan-for-aging/. This California Health and Human Services Agency website provides information about the plan and allows people to sign for email updates and send in their comments and suggestions.
Governor Newsom had pledged to create a Master Plan on Aging If he won and he quickly put together a team to work on this after his election. California’s 65+ population is projected to grow almost 90 percent to 8.6 million by 2030. Governor Newsom said, “The Golden State is getting grayer and we need to be ready for the major population changes headed our way.” He said that this population change will bring new opportunities for economic and community growth but will also drive increased health and long-term care costs.
In his State of the State address, the Governor said the Plan must address “person-centered care, the patchwork of human services, social isolation, bed-locked seniors in need of transportation, the nursing shortage, and demand for In Home Supportive that far outpaces its capacity.”
California is the largest state to have a Master Plan. Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota and Washington are the other states that have Master Plans. It is projected that in addition to the dramatic growth in population there will a shift in the composition of seniors. Older adults are the fastest growing segment of our homeless population in some areas of California. This group is more likely to live alone, live in poverty, have no children, be unmarried and be more ethnically diverse.
With so many changes in our growing senior population, it is clear that no single program will fulfill the many and diverse needs. Dr Bruce Chernoff, CEO of the SCAN Foundation and a member of the Master Plan Advisory Committee says we need to think differently about how we deliver our services and programs to this group. The State of California cannot do this alone but will need input and support from our local government agencies, our nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and residents like you and me in order to build age-friendly communities.
Dr. Chernoff’s first goal is a public conversation about what it means to age in a state that recognizes the value of older Californians. He hopes that the Master Plan can help us all recognize that aging should not have a negative connotation but should be celebrated and aspired to.
We have included a copy of California Executive Order N-14-19 which outlines the particulars of the California’s Master Plan for Aging. I am very excited that seniors will be the beneficiaries of this new program and hope every senior will review it, share it with others and support it in any way that works for them.
Yes and the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging is participating in a Ventura County Master Plan on Aging. I am looking forward to see it develop.
The California Coalition of Villages is also participating. It will be wonderful if together these groups can arrive at a comprehensive plan to help California’s seniors.
Good morning Nancy, many thanks for your BLOG, and copies of the Governor’s Master Plan. After watching so many of our California homeless, especially in Los Angeles, sleeping on the street – some of them with not even a plastic cover over them to protect them from the rain, I think it is a wonderful idea – however, not only will it take a lot of money, it will also take the assistance of many, many good people to even begin to help . As you know, I come from Germany, and then through Bolivia, and it never occurred to me growing up that this could happen in this wonderful country, as I know what it feels like to lose everything. If you are getting involved with this plan,please count me in, as I would very much like to work with you trying to make it better, as I consider myself so lucky to be able to live in my beautiful home. Many thanks. Sent with love, Ursula
Thanks, Ursula. I truly hope that all the attention now being directed toward our homeless issue will lead to some progress in this area. You are so right. I agree with you that it will take a tremendous effort to make a difference.