Our Impact

IT TAKES A VILLAGE to ensure that all Californians can age better.

  • By 2030, California will be home to 10.8 million older adults, accounting for one-quarter of the state’s population.
  • 34% of our state’s older adults will be moderate- and middle-income individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid benefits and aren’t able to afford health and aging resources.
  • The village model addresses these needs by providing a cost effective, community-based solution.
  • More villages are needed in the state, especially in underserved areas. We ask our legislators and elected officials to support and help expand this model of care.

VILLAGES support the state’s plan for older adults:

Our state is responding to these demographic changes by implementing the Governor’s Master Plan for Aging–a blueprint for aging in our state. 

The Master Plan includes villages as a strategic initiative and the village model supports the plan’s five bold goals: 

Housing: Villages enable older adults to age in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities of choice.  

Healthcare: Villages deliver social care through volunteers and community caregivers that provide services such as transportation to doctors, home modifications, grocery shopping, and technology support. 

Inclusion: Villages build social connections through volunteerism and community engagement. Villages are person-centered, community-based, and responsive to cultural needs. 

Caregiving: As the older adult population grows, the need for caregiving increases. Villages offer care for many older adults who do not live close to family or are solo agers. 

Affordability: Villages help older adults stretch their dollars by offering support with independent activities of daily living, allowing members to preserve resources for future institutional care. This allows the state to preserve safety net services for those who need them most.

Download Our Village Impact Report

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

 Full Impact Report 

 

* = Sources: Creating Age-Friendly Communities Through the Expansion of Villages: Summary of Longitudinal Member Outcomes submitted by The Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, June 1, 2017.  Andrew E. Scharlach, PhD and Carrie L. Graham, PhD, MGS, Co-Principal Investigators. Do Villages Promote Aging in Place? Results of a Longitudinal Study by Carrie Graham, Andrew E. Scharlach and Elaine Kurtovich 2016 from the Journal of Applied Gerontology

Ashby Village members are clowning around

Member Spotlight

Ashby Village

With 600 members and volunteers, Ashby Village is a warm, welcoming community, rooted in connection, social support and a spirit of resiliency. We draw strength from one another to live our lives with vitality and joy. Given our Berkeley roots, we are socially active, too, advocating for policies to make our city age-friendly.