By Vincent Lim
The new California State Senate Select Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care held its first hearing at Glendale Central Library, which brought together experts on aging who offered their recommendations for creating a more effective support and services system for older Californians.
Karen Lincoln, an associate professor at the USC School of Social Work and a senior scientist at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, was one of the experts offering feedback to Committee Chair Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) on developing a comprehensive, statewide strategy on aging.
“Today, we have a California aging and long-term care system that is not providing statewide access to a range of services especially in rural areas, not responding to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our state, and not developing a highly skilled workforce to meet our growing demand,” Liu said.
California has the largest number of individuals aged 65 and older of any state in the nation, and its older adult population is expected to grow at an accelerated pace in the coming decades.