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In January 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom released the Master Plan For Aging, a comprehensive list of goals and strategies for communities and local governments to use as a blueprint to promote an “age-friendly California.” According to his executive order, the state’s over-65 population is projected to grow to 8.6 million by 2030, an increase of 4 million senior residents.
On May 30, the Seniors Council of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, the state-designated agency on aging for the two counties, and the Community Foundation for San Benito County held their first Solutions Summit, bringing together representatives of local senior organizations, government officials and community members to lay the groundwork for the local response to the governor’s challenge.
“We’re trying to bring the community together to figure out how San Benito County can address its growing older adult population,” said Seniors Council Executive Director Clay Kempf. “Our hope is that we’ll come up with some ideas, creative ones or obvious ones, to achieve some of the goals of the master plan.”
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One of the work groups at the summit. Photo by Robert Eliason.Statistics released by the Senior Council are sobering. While the 60-plus population has grown by over 40% since 2010, the rest of the population only increased by 1% during the same period. In addition, the Medi-Cal-eligible senior population in the county has doubled in the last decade, and the increase in homeless seniors over 50 is growing faster than any other age group.
“According to the census, San Benito County is the third fastest-growing county for older adults in California,” Kempf said. “Santa Cruz is the second fastest, so we have two of the three right on top of each other.”
Work groups at the summit discussed the five goals and 95 initiatives in Newsom’s plan that address current issues and potential problems that the older population will be dealing with in the future:
Housing for all stages and ages: According to the plan, most older Californians are homeowners or renters facing rising affordability challenges. Initiatives include creating more affordable housing for seniors, improving age- and disability-friendly transportation, improving access to public parks, prioritizing responses to emergencies and disasters, and developing climate-friendly solutions to transportation and home energy needs.
Health reimagined: According to the plan, nearly half of California’s older population will acquire one or more chronic diseases and solutions must be found to close equity gaps in health care coverage. Initiatives include new health care delivery models, improving access to health care options, developing public health educational tools, increasing geriatric training opportunities, focusing on dementia treatments and care, and redesigning nursing home care.
Inclusion and equity, not isolation: According to the plan, increasing engagement opportunities is critical to seniors’ physical and mental health, as lonely seniors have a 45% greater risk of death. Initiatives include targeting more inclusion of older adults into the workforce, creating opportunities for volunteering and engaging across generations, closing the digital divide, providing better protections against abuse, neglect and exploitation, and providing better access to public information, assistance and resource portals.
Caregiving that works: According to the plan, there are almost 5 million family caregivers in California, of which 1.7 million are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Initiatives include creating 1 million high-quality caregiving jobs, providing home caregivers with more support such as paid family leave, virtual care and respite, and using tools like telehealth and smart home design to support home caregiving.
Affording aging: According to the plan, almost 25% of people over 65 rely exclusively on Social Security benefits and have an average income of $1,500 a month. California’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment averages $1,522, so older renters may be left with no money for food and other expenses. Initiatives include investing in solutions for the growing number of homeless seniors, creating better avenues for income security, and offering safety net services that align with current poverty levels.
“The idea is to just improve services and quality of life for older adults,” Kempf said. “We also need some sort of control on how we deal with an exploding population and make sure there are not only adequate services for them, but the services are cost-effective.”
Kempf said that one of the strengths of the community is the commitment that providers already feel toward serving older adults.
“Once someone connects with one program,” he said, “our network of providers is really good about sharing and partnering with others. For example, somebody who’s receiving Meals on Wheels might have Alzheimer’s, so there can be a connection made where the Alzheimer’s person gets more than a meal.”
The Senior Council has been developing this “No Wrong Door” model to improve communication between agencies and serve older adults better through what Kempf called aging and disability resource connections.
“It’s a little different than what historically has been that type of approach,” Kempf said, “which is, ‘Let’s put all the services in one building and have sort of one-stop shopping,’ That’s not a bad model. But the challenge is really one of cultural diversity because a person will feel more comfortable where they see people like them.”
The goal, Kempf said, is that no matter where the core services are located, people can come in one door and get connected with all available services at once. As with most rural communities, Kempf said, the obstacle is San Benito County’s limited tax base.
“There are gaps in terms of funding,” he said. “It’s harder to create that network of service providers, nonprofit or county programs, without resources. It’s much harder to start up something that’s new, especially when demand is increasing, not just holding steady.”
Kempf said that work on the master plan is ongoing. The summit is allowing local leaders to coordinate their efforts to meet the complex issues involved in preparing for an aging population on the rise.
“We are trying to avoid having a plan and then nobody paying attention to it,” Kempf said. “It’s like, ‘Oh we did our work here, let’s move on.’ We hope to have local work groups see it through to fruition.”
Local resources and services focused on aging include:
Aging & Disability Resource Connection
Central Coast Center for Independent Living
Community Food Bank of San Benito County
Community Foundation for San Benito County
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program
