Section 4. California's 5 Bold Goals
Section 4. California's 5 Bold Goals
California’s Master Plan for Aging has five bold goals to build a California for all ages and abilities. Merced County categorizes its own unique priorities and solutions under these five goals because shared language and approaches across the state help align our age and disability-friendly efforts and make us more competitive for available resources.
“We will live where we choose as we age in communities that are age, disability, and dementia-friendly and climate and disaster-ready.”
Older adults and people with disabilities need housing options that meet their changing needs across time. Housing that allows for different household sizes, with accessible transportation options, welcoming parks and public spaces, and strong climate and disaster readiness, are foundational to well-being and continued engagement in civic, economic, and social life. A wider range of housing models are emerging for the second half of life -- such as duplexes and accessory dwelling units to support multi-generational families and caregivers, and new models of residential communities with a range of services -- and these models can be scaled.
“We will have access to the services we need to live at home in our communities and to optimize our health and quality of life.”
To age well, all Californians need access to both health care and healthy communities across the lifespan. California leads the nation in health care coverage for older adults. Those still most at risk for not having access to comprehensive health care coverage include people with lower incomes, those living in rural areas, and those without citizenship status. As more Californians live longer lives, more people will seek home or community care to support optimal health. Coordinated care between health plans and community organizations serving older adults and people with disabilities can improve lifelong health outcomes and life satisfaction.
“We will have lifelong opportunities for work, volunteering, engagement, and leadership and will be protected from isolation, discrimination, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.”
Older adults and people with disabilities have many essential roles in California’s communities: workers, business owners, volunteers, community leaders, mentors, lifelong learners, neighbors, friends, and family members. Each of these roles can provide a vital sense of purpose at any age. A cornerstone of building a California for all ages is continuing, evolving, and creating new opportunities for meaningful engagement at 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100-plus years old, with older adults and people with disabilities remaining the essential leaders and participants in all planning, policy, and advocacy.
“We will be prepared for and supported through the rewards and challenges of caring for aging loved ones.”
At some point in our lives, most Californians will seek care from family, friends, or paid caregivers. Likewise, most Californians will also have the privilege and responsibility of caring for an older loved one. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant even more of us are in one or both of those roles, in more challenging circumstances. Supporting caregiving for adults, like caregiving for children, is essential for family life, the economy, and a California for all ages.
“We will have economic security for as long as we live.”
Economic security is essential to living and aging well, but retirement income is being outpaced by the rising costs of housing, health, and care. Further, retirement income has traditionally relied on a combination of three sources for stability: individual savings, employer-paid pensions, and Social Security. However, individual retirement savings are lower than previous generations, and private pensions are declining. As a result, more older Americans and Californians are overly reliant on Social Security income alone and therefore more vulnerable to poverty.
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