With California’s growing population of adults aged 65 and older, challenges regarding how the state will supply care for more than six million aging adults continue to rise. As the caregiving industry struggles to meet the demands of the aging population, many individuals find themselves taking on the role of unpaid family caregiver due to the mounting cost of care or placement. Although California has taken steps to support low-income aging adults with their care needs through programs like In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) through Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid health program) or Medicare, for many aging adults who don’t meet the criteria for these programs, access to care is costly.
“The demographics are shifting towards people growing older, living longer. And without having an adequate long-term care system, we don’t have a lot of options for people that don’t qualify for state help,” explained Yasmin Peled, director of California Government Affairs at Justice in Aging .
