A top priority for California in 2020? Finalize and implement the master plan for aging

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For the first time in California’s history, we have a governor, a treasurer and strong leadership in the Legislature committed to a Master Plan for Aging. While the state has seen past efforts to organize for an aging state gather dust, we now have clear momentum.

A cabinet-level work group responsible for the delivering a Master Plan to the governor by October 2020 is meeting regularly alongside an external advisory committee of statewide leaders. Legislative champions are also following these developments closely, and are expected to introduce new bills in the next session to advance various aspects of the Master Plan implementation.

When Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act became law in 1965, average life expectancy was only 69 years. Today, it’s 78. While these laws are the basis for serving the needs of our aging America in states and localities, they were built for a completely different time. They did not plan for what we know today and can expect tomorrow.

There is a critical need to act now in building the state we want to live in as we age. California is relatively young as a state, but will see significant population aging over the next decade, starting with boomers. Future generations are also predicted to live much longer than previous ones. Through California’s Master Plan process, we are designing a future that needs to be durable and responsive for at least three generations.

While a major first step, California’s Master Plan in and of itself is only one step along an important path. It should have a singular focus: to design systems around the needs and experiences of older adults and the families who stand by them, now and in the near future.

A successful Master Plan must be crafted to anticipate and respond to needs from a person’s perspective, engaging public and private sectors in systems-based solutions that touch all major areas of life experience.

Instead of a traditional planning exercise that prioritizes the needs of a fragmented system, this Master Plan can reframe how services are organized and delivered by public and private entities based on what matters most to the people they serve – placing older Californians and their families at the center.

We at The SCAN Foundation uphold four elements as critical to the Master Plan’s success.

First, this means a plan that focuses on older adults thriving in their lives: health (physical, psychological and social well-being); financial well-being; self-worth (purpose and empowerment); environment (supportive services, housing, food and transportation); and community (family and friends).

Second, it will take time and patience combined with a clear commitment to set and measure goals that put people first rather than funding sources or the needs of programs or administering agencies. The Master Plan must ensure all of us can easily access information and services we need, when we need it – regardless of eligibility distinction, income level, or where we live.

Third, this cannot and should not be a process that funds more of a system the way it is delivered today. It’s a commitment to incorporate aging into all policy areas, including housing, transportation, higher education, veterans affairs and many others. All need to be equally engaged with strong gubernatorial leadership to ensure a holistic solution to California’s infrastructure and care system challenges.

A successful Master Plan will also establish a framework for engaging new partners and spurring collaborative innovation across the public, private and independent sectors. It will create equal accountability for all entities to creatively address our aging population’s needs now and in the future.

Finally, the Master Plan has the potential to reimagine aging with dignity and independence for all of us, impacting how society considers, plans for and responds to life’s changes with age. The planning process should initiate a refreshed conversation on aging; these issues are not limited to individuals over a certain age, but impact young people, families and communities alike.

This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 3:01 AM with the headline "A top priority for California in 2020? Finalize and implement the master plan for aging."