For the past few years, California has been implementing a 10-year plan to “ help all people, families, and the economy thrive through longer lives.” With plenty of initiatives for California citizens of all backgrounds, a key focus that has revealed itself in the last decade or so is the elderly population. It is estimated that by 2030, 25% of California’s population will be 60-years-old or older. This number alone, not to mention the long-term-care industry failings revealed through COVID, has inspired California’s Master Plan for Aging. Here’s what you need to know.
The Master Plan for Aging (MPA)
The 2025-2026 Master Plan for Aging is the fourth iteration of the initiatives. Specifically, there are 81 initiatives in total “designed to build momentum and drive results for older Californians over the next two years.” California is leading the way with this kind of focus on aging, offering a blueprint for the rest of the nation which is slowly following. Primary demographics targeted in the initiatives include older adults, their caregivers, and California citizens with disabilities.
However, the MPA is also aimed at addressing the many and growing needs of “under-represented older populations.” Part of the 81 initiatives are programs that serve “LGBTQIA+ older adults, people who are vulnerable in natural disasters like wildfires, families impacted by dementia, people who are isolated, unhoused older adults, and people with disabilities.”
This expansive and ambitious move to better long-term care and overall more accessible services for older Californians is a move that will hopefully benefit generations to come.
What You Need to Know
The 10-year MPA is Governor Gavin Newsom’s way of expanding existing programs and introducing new areas of service for the growing population of elderly Californians.To do this, it includes 5 Bold Goals which are as follows:
1) Housing for All Ages & Stages
2) Health Reimagined
3) Inclusion & Equity, Not Isolation
4) Caregiving That Works
5) Affording Aging
You can learn more about these on the MPA website. But more than these goals, the MPA includes initiatives in a number of areas of life and health.
Advancing Emergency Preparedness: To ensure older adults and those with disabilities are not left behind or caught unprepared during emergencies, Gov. Newsom partnered with a number of agencies to develop the Emergency Preparedness Guide.
Combating Loneliness: Loneliness is a chronic problem among the elderly. Whether they are living in long-term care facilities or aging at home, the loss of friends and loved ones and the decreased ability to go out cause extreme loneliness. To combat this problem, Friendship Line California was developed as part of MPA, which offers a “warmline” that the elderly can call for companionship.
What’s Next
The above initiatives were part of the previous MPA advancements. This coming year, there is more on the docket. As listed on the California Department of Aging website, the following programs and policies are next.
- Establishing a framework to develop California’s first-ever Aging and Disability No Wrong Door system, including a pilot for a statewide consumer-facing website and contact center to improve navigation.
- Addressing housing needs by elevating and advancing innovative public-private housing solutions.
- Improving access to programs supporting people in homes instead of institutions, including day programs for people with Alzheimer’s and related cognitive disorders.
- Expanding housing support for crime victims and survivors with specialized needs, including older adults, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, non-English speaking, and culturally or religiously marginalized populations.
- Expanding resources to help communities develop and implement age- and disability-friendly plans.
But that’s not all. There are a lot of actions the MPA, Gov. Newsom, and the Master Plan’s supporters hope to enact between now and 2030. You can read the full report at the California Department of Aging website.
If you or a loved one have been the victim of elder neglect or abuse, call Gharibian Law (866-239-8812) today for a FREE consultation and the best legal representation.
