An overwhelming percentage of Americans – close to 90% – say they want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. California today is home to the nation’s largest senior population, and aging baby boomers are expected to strain the state’s already overtaxed health care system and safety net. This forum will explore innovations supporting Californians in being able to maintain control of everyday decisions and grow old in their own homes and communities for as long as reasonably possible.

Objectives:

Examine the success of an evidence-based model being implemented to encourage fitness and wellness among Latino seniors in Los Angeles.
Learn from the experience of a three-year pilot program using Medi-Cal funds to provide assisted living services to skilled-nursing facility-eligible seniors in residential care facilities for the elderly and publicly subsidized housing.
Hear about approaches to ensure that California’s seniors have the financial resources, including the benefits and challenges of the popular trend of reverse mortgages, to remain in their homes.
Look into the future at a planned community that will be wired to allow residents to live independently and comfortably as they age and see the area’s four health care plans work together to deliver a continuum of care to residents through onsite facilities and telemedicine.

Panelists:

Bob Chason, MEd, Independent Health Care Consultant
Mark Helmar, Chief, Office of Long-Term Care, California Department of Health Care Services
David L. Mandel, Supervising Attorney, California Senior Legal Hotline/Sacramento Senior Legal Services, Legal Services of Northern California
Catherine A. Sarkisian, MD, MSPH, Associate Professor of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Principal Investigator, NIH Trial to Increase Walking Among Sedentary Older Latinos
Amy Shin, PharmD, Chief Administrative Officer, On Lok Inc. (facilitator)