By Bruce Chernof, Shelley Lyford and
Christopher Langston
On June 10, 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom
issued Executive Order
N-14-19, calling for a California Master Plan for Aging (Master
Plan). In his Executive Order, Newsom outlines the broad framework for a
Master Plan process, including state-level input, stakeholder engagement and a
firm deadline of October 1, 2020, for completion.
The process is well underway, and
voters—nearly half of whom are providing care, or have provided care to an
older adult or person with a disability—are READY. A survey
—commissioned by the nonpartisan campaign We Stand With Seniors
and conducted in July showed that more than 75 percent of voters support Gov.
Newsom’s Executive Order and will hold the state accountable. This crosses
political parties and geographic regions, is nearly identical across all age
groups and is high among those with differing ethnic backgrounds.
The significance of the Executive Order cannot
be understated: at no time in the past has a California governor committed
leadership and resources to whole-scale systems planning to meet the needs of
California’s aging population. As heads of three organizations that have
steadfastly dedicated their time to educating California’s policymakers on the
critical need for a Master Plan, we applaud Gov. Newsom for his visionary
leadership and expedient, aggressive goals for creating and implementing a
Master Plan. This marks a historic milestone on the road to overcoming
system-related challenges facing older Californians and meeting their needs
through a thoughtful, comprehensive and outcomes-oriented strategy.
While a major first step, the Master Plan is
only one stride on the long path ahead. To succeed, California’s Master Plan
must have a singular focus: to design systems to answer the needs and
experiences of older adults and the families who stand by them, now and into
the foreseeable future. A successful Master Plan will anticipate and respond
to needs from a human perspective, engaging both public and private sectors in
systems-based solutions that touch all major areas of life experience (e.g.,
health, human services, housing, transportation and more).
Instead of a traditional planning exercise
that prioritizes the needs of a currently fragmented system, this Master Plan
can reframe system organization, funding and service delivery, based on what
matters most to the people the plan serves—placing older Californians, their
families and their caregivers at its center.
Five Critical Elements of the Master Plan
The SCAN Foundation, West Health and Archstone Foundation uphold the following five elements as
critical to the Master Plan’s success, ensuring that it fully reflects what
matters most to older Californians and their families.
Older Adults Thriving = Health, Finances,
Self-Worth, Environment and Community. Californians’ ability to thrive while
aging with dignity and independence reflects the intersection of basic human needs,
such as health (physical, psychological and social well-being); finances (financial
well-being); self-worth (purpose and empowerment); environment (supportive
services, housing, food and transportation); and community (family and
friends).
A successful Master Plan will recognize the
interdependence of these needs and develop approaches that recognize and
address all of them.
People First. Older adults should have access to systems that are responsive
to the individual as a whole—not idiosyncratic system parts based on their
funding source, the administering agency or the local oversight entity. A
successful Master Plan will ensure that individuals can readily access the
information and services they need, when they need them—regardless of eligibility
distinction, income level or place of residence.
Cross-Sector Collaboration. It is time for aging issues to be addressed
outside the traditional spheres of health and human services, or as solely the
responsibility of the state or public sector. Many state agencies—along with a
wide range of private entities—contribute greatly to the experience of aging in
California; these entities include housing, transportation, higher education
and veterans affairs, among others.
All stakeholders need to be equally engaged,
with strong leadership from the governor to ensure a holistic solution to
California’s infrastructure and care system challenges. A successful Master
Plan will establish a framework that draws in new partners and spurs
collaborative innovation across public, private and independent sectors. This
will mean equal accountability for all entities to creatively and
comprehensively address California’s aging population’s needs, through a sound
financing structure, now and into the future.
Care Coordination. California’s system of care is frequently
fragmented and poorly coordinated. All too often, health services are
disconnected from equally important social support services; hospital-based
care is detached from homecare; and critical wellness needs such as oral
health, behavioral care and nutrition fall through the cracks. Examples of
systems we should look to as models for scaling include the following:
·
Age-friendly hospital
emergency departments: Emergency departments designed for older adults’ needs
conduct comprehensive health assessments with an interdisciplinary team and
coordinate services for home- and community-based aftercare.
·
PACE (Programs of
All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly): For low-income older adults, these
programs are the gold standard of comprehensive, coordinated care for people
who want to age in place in the communities they love. As we plan for the
future of aging in California, we must keep care coordination at the front and
center of our discussions.
Aging: It’s All of Us. Negative stereotypes and fears of aging have
historically pushed aging issues into the background. This Master Plan has the
potential to re-imagine aging—affecting how society thinks about, plans for and
responds to the life changes that come with aging. The planning process should
initiate a refreshed conversation about aging, as these issues are not limited
to individuals older than a certain age, but also affect young people,
families and communities.
As Gov. Newsom noted, the Golden State is
graying rapidly. All of us, young and old, share a stake in planning an
age-friendly future. A Master Plan that enables older Californians to age well
at home enriches all of our communities, and the lives of the diverse
individuals who live in them.
The SCAN Foundation, West Health and Archstone
Foundation stand ready to work with Gov. Newsom, his administration and the
legislature, alongside leaders across public, private and philanthropic
sectors to develop a Master Plan for Aging that will well serve Californians
for generations to come.
Bruce Chernof is president and CEO of The SCAN
Foundation in Long Beach, Calif. Shelley Lyford is president and CEO of San
Diego–based West Health and a commissioner on the California Commission on
Aging. Christopher Langston is president and CEO of Archstone Foundation in
Long Beach.
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