Disrupting the Status Quo

Master Plan for Aging

West Health called for and helped develop California’s Master Plan for Aging (MPA) to address the needs of the state’s growing senior population. This historic public-private partnership, now in its fourth year, spans healthcare, social services, transportation, housing, caregiving, inclusion, and equity.

Happy senior couple walking the beach together

WHY IT MATTERS

6 Million

Seniors live in California today, 10.8 million will by 2030

21%

Americans will be older than 65 by 2030, up from 15% today

2030

The year older adults will outnumber children in the U.S.

$17 Billion

200+ MPA initiatives in California

Objective

California’s Master Plan for Aging (MPA) makes the health and well being of older Californians and people with disabilities a major priority. It provides a 10-year blueprint for state and local government, philanthropy, private sector nonprofits, and other stakeholders to guide the state in addressing the rapid rise in its aging population.

Current Goals

Create millions of new housing options that are age, disability, and dementia-friendly and climate and disaster-ready.

Ensure all Californians have access to healthcare and other services that increase life expectancy, increase quality of life, and close equity gaps.

Increase life satisfaction by providing opportunities that are free from isolation, discrimination, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Create one million new caregiving jobs to better support older Californians and their families throughout the aging process.

Close equity gaps in aging and increase economic security for older adults.

Every State Needs a Multisector Plan for Aging

California is currently one of only five states with such a plan, but that is changing.

We’re collaborating with The SCAN Foundation and May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust to help 20 more develop or further advance plans through the Multisector Plan for Aging Learning Collaborative, led by The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). The collaborative is already supporting states including Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington State who are working on their own Multisector Plans for Aging. These plans may be referred to by different names—e.g., Master Plan for Aging, Action Plan on Aging Well, Strategic Action Plan on Aging, but no matter what it’s called—the Multisector Plan for Aging movement is beginning to sweep the country!

States have a Multisector Plan for Aging

States are fostering the development of an MPA

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Man typing on a computer and searching the MPA Implementation Tracker

Enabling Data-driven Transparency and Accountability

The California Master Plan for Aging (MPA) is committed to transparency and accountability. To support this commitment, the California Department of Aging, in partnership with West Health Institute, has developed the Master Plan Data Dashboard for Aging and MPA Implementation Tracker. The publicly accessible database charts the progress of MPA initiatives, which now number over 200, and provides a user-friendly interface to search and filter by key terms to view progress by agency, goal, strategy, topics, and more.

MPA Data Dashboard For Aging MPA Implementation Tracker

Healthcare for Life

Healthcare is central to successful aging and reimagining health is one of five bold goals set for the California Master Plan for Aging (MPA). Currently, more than 6 million seniors live in California, a number expected to grow to 8.6 million by 2030, the same year 1 in every 5 Americans will be 65 or older for the first time in history. The MPA calls for a system of care that is “affordable, easy to navigate, and enables access to the necessary services at the right time and in the setting of choice.” For West Health, that also means care that is specific to the needs and challenges facing seniors. In two short years, progress has been made in several areas including the expansion of geriatric emergency care, the development of telehealth tools for senior care, the growth of Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and enhancements to home and community-based care programs. West Health has been a driving force on these senior-specific models of care for many years and will continue to fuel these types of programs and more.

Collaborating to improve the aging experience

With support from West Health and The SCAN Foundation, Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) launched a new “Funders Community, Multisector Plans for Aging,” a shared space where grantmakers can build on age-friendly community investments and discuss strategies and solutions related to multisector plans. The goal is to improve the aging experience through innovation, collaboration, and shared accountability.

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