California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Johnson applauded stakeholders via recorded video message. As a step toward building a more inclusive future, CDA Tribal Affairs Manager Consuelo Gambino gave a land acknowledgment to honor and recognize the Tribes and Indigenous People of the Sacramento region.

The CA for ALL Ages & Abilities: 2024 Master Plan for Aging (MPA) Day of Action kicked off with opening comments from California Department of Aging (CDA) Director Susan DeMarois thanking the MPA stakeholder advisory committee members for their ongoing commitment and dedication.

As the 70+ committee members made a grand entrance into the main ballroom. Throughout the day’s program, the MPA committees presented their priority recommendations to advance California’s MPA.

Senior Advisor on Aging, Disability and Alzheimer’s for the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom and former CDA Director Kim McCoy Wade said the aging-support movement will continue growing. McCoy Wade noted that the California Department of Motor Vehicles has dropped the knowledge test for older drivers renewing licenses: “That’s exciting. I see it as a step against ageism.”

Governor Gavin Newsom, joining via video recording, said California is seeing real results from the MPA and urged participants to keep building “a state where all ages and abilities can thrive in every decade of life.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire noted the demographic shift in the older adult population and urged attendees to think about current challenges including homelessness and those in the “forgotten middle.”

President and Chief Executive Officer of The SCAN Foundation, Dr. Sarita Mohanty, emphasized philanthropy’s role in advancing the aging network. Dr. Mohanty stated priorities including funding of long-term services and supports and addressing older adult homelessness with targeted rental subsidies.

In his keynote speech, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra spoke about promoting wellness by preventing problems rather than trying to fix them later. “Director DeMarois and your team, thank you for spearheading the effort to move us in the direction where we’re thinking early, preventing, rather than trying to cure and remediate at the end stage,” he said. “California is at the forefront of pushing this, about aging and making sure we have a plan of action, a roadmap for all Californians. Congratulations to this state, to all of you for being there to make that happen.”

CDA Deputy Director of Policy, Research, and Equity Sarah Steenhausen moderated a panel of Californians with lived experience, who shared compelling personal stories about aging, living with a disability, and caring for a loved one. Elaine Samuels faced challenges trying to navigate medical crises before being introduced to the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center in San Francisco that now supports her in several areas of her life.

Priscilla Yeung experienced depression before connecting with vision loss support and now helps other older adults living with vision loss and blindness to remain independent through training, tools, mentorship, and a supportive community at the Society for the Blind. Aili Kato, a family caregiver, struggled with self-doubt as he tried to find the right and culturally appropriate dementia care for his godmother, who had no other family support.

Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil and Eric Harris shared recommendations from the Implementing the MPA in CA Together (IMPACT) Committee, the first of six standing MPA advisory committees to present, including the need for a sustained funding stream for long-term services and supports. Also essential, they said, are shallow rent subsidies to prevent and end homelessness.

Cheryl Brown of the Equity Advisory Committee on Aging and Disability (EACAD) said equity in the MPA means intentionally uplifting voices of the underrepresented and underserved, including older adults of color.

Vincent Crisostomo, who has been living with HIV since 1987, said he is a “living, breathing example of what can happen when people get the services they need.” EACAD recommended that the MPA establish an Aging & Disability Lived Experience Advisory Board.

Department of Rehabilitation Director Joe Xavier moderated a panel of state leaders on building equitable systems for all. California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss said for every person who is housed through services, three or four become homeless.

California State Transportation Agency Undersecretary Mark Tollefson said his aging grandmother’s struggle with transit options influences his efforts to be involved transportation-focused work. California Department of Health Care Services Director Michelle Baass said the current data analysis work will help close a gap in accessing long-term services and supports.

Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry said older adults must have connectivity with loved ones and the outside world, and noted challenges faced by people with Alzheimer’s and unpaid family caregivers. Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson said system reform is needed to address many ongoing challenges including older adult poverty, homelessness, and cognitive conditions.

Judy Gion from the Office of Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains, chair of the Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, presented Director DeMarois with an Assembly honorary resolution to celebrate CDA’s 50th anniversary.

Recommendations from the Disability and Aging Community Living Advisory Committee (DACLAC) included improved access to and affordability of housing and transportation services and improved accessed to home and community-based services through share of cost reform, said Committee members Hagar Dickman and Sheri Burns.

From the California Aging and Disability Research Partnership (CADRP), Dr. Angela Perone said services that are culturally responsive and that support the LGBTQIA+ community are imperative. Dr. Zia Agha said understanding causative factors, collaboration, and personal stories can help overcome fragmentation silos.

California Health and Human Services Agency Assistant Secretary Dr. Darci Delgado moderated a panel of state leaders focused on home and community living for all including California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Deputy Secretary of Workforce Strategy Abby Snay; California Department of Health Care Access and Information Director Elizabeth Landsberg; and California Department of Social Services Chief Deputy Director for Disability, Adults, and Housing Integration Claire Ramsey. The state panel discussed work to be done to address the older adult workforce, behavioral health, housing, and dementia care.

Bertha Sanchez Hayden and Vivianne Mbaku of the Elder and Disability Justice Coordinating Council (EDJCC) said the committee recommends the creation of a statewide office of the public guardian; a hotline be established for anyone in California to report suspicions of abuse, neglect, or self-neglect; and enhance and increase access to civil and criminal remedies for victims of abuse and exploitation.

Catherine Blakemore and Dr. Wynnelena Canlas Canio of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee (ADRDAC) presented recommendations including increased options to provide care to adults with dementia, expanded access to day care for adults with dementia, and continued funding to work with community health workers.

Deputy Director of Legislation and Communications for the Department of Rehabilitation Kim Rutledge moderated a panel of legislative staff members focused on advancing system change through the MPA including: Principal Consultant to Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, Mareva Brown; Director of the Senate Human Services Committee, Heather Hopkins; Chief Consultant to the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, Elizabeth Fuller; Fiscal and Policy Analyst of the Legislative Analyst’s Office, Juwan Trotter; and Deputy Chief Consultant of the Assembly Budget Committee, Nicole Vazquez.

The panelists provided information on the legislative process and encouraged the attendees to partner with legislative staff and leaders to move legislation forward, including Vazquez’s suggestion for the six MPA committees to pare down their 18 total recommendations to one top priority and two of medium importance.

Director DeMarois closed out the day by thanking all participants and attendees, saying, “We’ve all been challenged by the many presenters to take what we heard today and put it into action.”