by Tim Gieseke MD, CMD

On July 8th, the California Senate Select Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care will meet in Glendale California to hear from experts like our own Dr. Cheryl Phillips (now Senior VP of Leading Age). They will hear about the anticipated demographic changes in our state with the doubling of those living over 65 y/o between 2010 and 2030. This group will become much more culturally diverse with significant increases in the Latino and Asian communities. Almost 70% of this population will require LTC for some of those years. The current LTC system is complex with gaps in services and problems with care coordination.

In an attached white paper brief for this hearing, you can review the identified problems with our current LTC system of care as well as opportunities for improving care coordination and support services for aging in the least restrictive environment. Major program initiatives are touched on in this report like California Coordinated Care Initiative (Dual Eligible Integration – CAL MediConnect), ACOs with bundled care packages, and Rural Managed Care Expansion. Some of you are already experiencing these changes in care delivery. Further changes are inevitable with the “boomer Tsunami” upon us.

This Senate hearing will end with experts envisioning the ideal system. Stay tuned for more opportunities to better serve the expanding LTC population.

California Aging Policy in Brief (white paper)

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