Supervisors assess need for older adult caregiving

SAN JOSE – Santa Clara County Supervisors have voted to conduct a comprehensive study of older adult caregiving needs and capacity in Santa Clara County.

The referral for the study, brought forward by County Supervisors Joe Simitian and Cindy Chavez, seeks to identify:

• Who needs caregiving and what services are needed;
• Who is currently providing caregiving services; and,
• What gaps and barriers are preventing people from both accessing those services and providing them.

“Finding compassionate caregivers for our aging loved ones is a concern for many of us,” observed Simitian. “We know the ranks of providers have been thinned coming out of COVID, and we know the need for services can only grow as our population ages. Now is the time to assess the nature and extent of the challenge; that way we can get ahead of the problem and identify real solutions.”

Santa Clara County projects that by 2030, just eight years from now, the older adult population (age 65 and up) will make up 20% of the total county population. The proposed study is designed to inform the strategies used to address the inevitable increase in demand for caregiving services, as well as the likely shortage in providers.

“It is so important for Santa Clara County to get ahead of this before the number of older adults outnumber children by 2030,” said Chavez. “I believe we can use our robust door-to-door operation that was battle tested during the pandemic for this work as well.”

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our existing network of caregiving services has been significant. Programs such as senior nutrition, for example, were negatively affected as the County was forced to reduce or suspend in-person congregate food offerings. In-home Support Services (IHSS) were also stressed as the pandemic strained the already limited number of caregiving providers.

The Board of Supervisors directed County Administration to solicit the feedback of other stakeholders interested in this study, such as Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Working Partnerships USA (WPUSA), the County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), Sourcewise, and other interested organizations.

Sarita Kohli, President and CEO of AACI, noted, “As one of the County’s non-profit partners in providing services to older adults, we applaud this effort by the Board. We need to define the problem, identify potential solutions, and then implement them to ensure the elders in our community—who have given so much to us—are cared for in the way they deserve to be.”

The proposed study would look to influence the implementation of the California Master Plan for Aging caregiving initiative on the local level. The California Master Plan for Aging is an initiative started in 2019 by Governor Gavin Newsom in pursuit of five goals: 1) housing for all ages and stages, 2) health reimagined, 3) inclusion and equity, not isolation, 4) caregiving that works, and 5) affordable aging.

“Caregiving for our older adults will affect almost all of us at one point or another, either when a loved one is in need or when it’s time to receive these services ourselves,” said Simitian. “This is an opportunity for the County and its partners to be proactive, to get ahead of the problem, before our system is overwhelmed.”