Berkeley, California – November 26, 2019 – The CARESTAR Foundation has granted support for a health care partnership project to Village Movement California, a coalition of grassroots groups that connect older Californians to the services and expertise they need to continue living well independently.
According to CARESTAR CEO Tanir Ami, “One of our primary focus areas is injury prevention. We are excited to provide a planning grant of $185,000 to help the Village Movement in California see how it can grow, innovate and sustain itself for the long term. Their network of services such as transportation and training in fall prevention can help reduce the social isolation and risk that can send many to the hospital. We think this is a great model that needs to better understand how to best involve more communities and more sustainable financing.”
Villages are founded on the principle that four out of five Americans want to age in the places they call home, but may have serious gaps in their care and safety. For moderate and middle-income seniors, (estimated to be more than half of older Californians), there is no public policy to address these unmet needs. Most cannot qualify for publicly-funded programs or afford the cost of long-term services. Villages address the gaps, utilizing the abilities of older adult and intergenerational volunteers.
In the past decade, grassroots Village programs in California and across the U.S. have begun to develop the infrastructure to deliver much needed social care to older adults, but most Californians do not have one in their community.
“Villages are founded on the principle that four out of five Americans want to age in the places they call home, but may have serious gaps in their care and safety. For moderate and middle-income seniors, (estimated to be more than half of older Californians), there is no public policy to address these unmet needs. Most cannot qualify for publicly-funded programs or afford the cost of long-term services. Villages address the gaps, utilizing the abilities of older adult and intergenerational volunteers.”
“Village Movement California seeks to scale villages across the state, so that all older Californians have access to their resources and supports. This grant will provide a plan for expanding the movement, particularly through partnership with the health care sector,” says Executive Director Charlotte Dickson. “Older Californians of diverse identities would gain access to strong, peer-to-peer networks that help them stay in charge of their lives as they navigate the transitions of aging. They will have robust social connections, services and supports that assure their physical safety and well-being, and information and referrals to the expertise and skills they may require to age well in the places they call home.”
With California’s older adult population predicted to double by 2030, the need to address the gap in services is acute. According to Dickson, a best-case outcome of the planning process would be an actionable, multi-year plan that leads to contracts with health care entities for village services throughout California, ensuring expansion of the village network throughout diverse communities in the state.
Says Ami: “Locally-based, resident-driven peer networks are a profound and sustainable response to the issues that Village Movement California addresses. They build the framework to support people supporting themselves, which makes this project so important”.
About the CARESTAR Foundation
The CARESTAR Foundation was founded as a result of the sale of CALSTAR (California Shock Trauma Air Rescue) and honors CALSTAR’S legacy and lifesaving work in the field of emergency and trauma care. CARESTAR’s mission is to strengthen connections and foster partnerships in California’s injury prevention, emergency response, and trauma care landscape to improve outcomes for all Californians.