F E A T U R E
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“Caring for our seniors is perhaps the greatest responsibility we have. Those who walked before us have given so much and made possible the life we all enjoy.” - Senator John Hoever
in California, which is expected to grow by nearly 20 percent in the coming years. Add to that the increasing number of residents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, projected to impact more than 1.1 million Californians by 2030. California’s continued reliance on the patchwork of current programs and services is not adequate to meet the growing needs of the state’s ever-increasing elderly population. As the study pointed out, such reliance is destined to result in unnecessary expenditures, inequitable access, and irrelevant services. Current programs designed to assist the state’s dependent adults are stretched across a minimum of six major state departments without a designated leader to champion a statewide vision, develop a statewide plan, or implement a statewide strategy. Brown explained that this year, the Commission, the state voice for older residents, is advocating for programs and services that will help lift seniors out of poverty, provide protections for the most vulnerable, and support the desire of all Californians to age healthily, securely and purposefully. In her presentation, Brown stressed, “We are asking the Legislature to take a more comprehensive view by expanding the jurisdiction of the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long Term Care.” She further called for the creation of a Standing Committee on Aging and Long Term Care and called for the Assembly and Senate to conduct, “Joint Hearings among the respective Budget committees and relevant Standing Policy Committees to focus on aging and long term care budget items only.” The 2015 report made more than 30 legislative recommendations for action and provided a strategy to achieve improved coordination and a high-functioning, comprehensive system. As part of last week’s rally, seniors and their advocates visited the offices of their legislators to discuss issues related to aging and long-term care. Nearly 70 percent of those aged 65 years and older will need Long-Term Care (LTC) services and support. Additionally, approximately 80 percent of LTC care givers are family members, may become more vulnerable to health issues and economic hardship than the person for whom they care. It may be surprising to learn that, in California, 4.4 million family caregivers provide more than four billion hours a year of unpaid care, valued at nearly $57 billion. In her presentation at the rally, Brown noted,
10 VOICE | MAY 18, 2017 | theievoice.com
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“California has the highest number of family caregivers in the nation.” However, the availability of family caregivers in the state is on the decline. The 2010 ratio of caregivers for every person in what is considered the high-risk years of 80 plus was 7 to 1. That ratio is projected to decline to 4 to 1 by 2030. Unfortunately, only 37 percent of seniors have adequately planned for their future in-home care needs. This is largely because many of them believed Medicare would cover in-home LTC—it will not, and a majority of seniors cannot afford it. As a result, 64 percent of all LTC needs are accommodated by government programs. California’s LTC cost could increase by nearly 88 percent from $6.6 billion in 2013 to a projected $12.4 billion by 2023. The state’s concern over how to best serve its growing senior population is further exacerbated by issues of poverty. One in six of the state’s seniors live in poverty, including 43 percent of Hispanic women and 34 percent of Black women who live alone. Unsurprising, considering the gross disparity between