Forbes: California Has a Master Plan for Aging. Now What? (February 23, 2021)

The number of Californians age 60 and older is due to nearly double from roughly 6 million in 2010 to about 11 million in 2030 (a quarter of the state’s population). California currently has the second highest average life expectancy in the nation (81.9 years). And one in five older adults in the state is living in poverty, one of the highest rates in the country. Older adults also comprise the fastest growing group of homeless people in California, said Fernando Torres-Gil, a UCLA professor of social welfare and public policy and Master Plan for Aging team member.

Kevin Prindiville, the executive director of Justice in Aging in Oakland, Calif., worked on the Master Plan for Aging and said: “The demographics in California, like the country, and really a lot of the world, are shifting rapidly. Unfortunately, in California and in many other places, the strategic thinking and strategic investments haven’t been made to really prepare for the growing need… And so, it was the right time for California to start to put a plan in place.”