ContraCostaCounty
Area Agency on Aging
2012-2016
Four-Year Area Plan
(July 1, 2012-June 30, 2016)
Submitted by
John Cottrell
Area Agency on Aging Director
PSA #07
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Area Plan Checklist / 2Transmittal Letter / 3
Section 1. Mission Statement / 4
Section 2. Description of the Planning and Service Area (PSA) / 4
Section 3. Description of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) / 7
Section 4. Planning Process / Establishing Priorities / 9
Section 5. Needs Assessment / 10
Section 6. Targeting / 17
Section 7. Public Hearings / 18
Section 8. Identification of Priorities / 20
Section 9. Area Plan Narrative Goals and Objectives / 21
Section 10. Service Unit Plan (SUP) Objectives / 34
Section 11. Focal Points / 55
Section 12. Disaster Preparedness / 56
Section 13. Priority Services / 58
Section 14. Notice of Intent to Provide Direct Services / 59
Section 15. Request for Approval to Provide Direct Services / 61
Section 16. Governing Board / 63
Section 17. Advisory Council / 64
Section 18. Legal Assistance / 67
Section 19. Multipurpose SeniorCenter Acquisition or Construction Compliance Review / NA
Section 20. Family Caregiver Support Program / 71
Section 21. Organization Chart / 73
Section 22. Assurances / 74
Appendix I: Baby Boomer Reference—see (AP Update 2011-2012) / 80
Appendix II: Key Informant Survey Instrument and raw data / 81
Appendix III: Core Survey Instrument and raw data / 82
Appendix III: Limited English Proficiency survey instruments and raw data / 85
Appendix V: Partners in PlanningFlyer, Invitation and Agenda / 97
Appendix VI: Notice, Agenda, and Minutes from the Public Hearing March 21, 2012 / 99.
AREA PLAN REQUIRED COMPONENTS CHECKLIST
Section / Four-Year Area Plan Components / 4-YearPlan
Transmittal Letter – with original signatures or official signature stamps / ×
Note: Transmittal letter is forthcoming.
1 / Mission Statement / x
2 / Description of the Planning and Service Area (PSA) / x
3 / Description of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) / x
4 / Planning Process / Establishing Priorities / x
5 / Needs Assessment / x
6 / Targeting / x
7 / Public Hearings / x
8 / Identification of Priorities / x
9 / Area Plan Narrative Goals and Objectives:
Title III B Funded Program Development (PD) Objectives / x
Title III B Funded Coordination (C) Objectives / x
System-Building and Administrative Goals & Objectives / x
Title III B/VII A Long-Term Care Ombudsman Objectives / x
Title VII B Elder Abuse Prevention Objectives / x
10 / Service Unit Plan (SUP) Objectives / x
11 / Focal Points / x
12 / Disaster Preparedness / x
13 / Priority Services / x
14 / Notice of Intent to Provide Direct Services / x
15 / Request for Approval to Provide Direct Services / x
16 / Governing Board / x
17 / Advisory Council / x
18 / Legal Assistance / x
19 / Multipurpose SeniorCenter Acquisition or Construction Compliance Review
20 / Title III E Family Caregiver Support Program / x
21 / Organization Chart / x
22 / Assurances / x
TRANSMITTAL LETTER
Four-Year Area Plan
2012-2016
AAA Name: Contra Costa County Area Agency on AgingPSA 7
This Area Plan is hereby submitted to the California Department of Aging for approval. The Governing Board and the Advisory Council have each had the opportunity to participate in the planning process and to review and comment on the Area Plan. The Governing Board, Advisory Council, and Area Agency Director actively support the planning and development of community-based systems of care and will ensure compliance with the assurances set forth in this Area Plan. The undersigned recognize the responsibility within each community to establish systems in order to address the care needs of older individuals and their family caregivers in this planning and service area.
1. (Type Name) Mary N. Piepho
______
Signature: Governing Board Chair[1]Date
2. (Type Name)Shirley Krohn
______
Signature: Advisory Council ChairDate
3. (Type Name) John Cottrell
______
Signature: Area Agency DirectorDate
SECTION1.MISSION STATEMENT
“To provide leadership in addressing issues that relate to older Californians; to be a catalyst to develop community-based systems of care that provide services which support independence within California’s interdependent society, and which protect the quality of life of older persons and persons with functional impairments; and to promote citizen involvement in the planning and delivery of services.”
SECTION2.DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANNING AND SERVICE AREA (PSA)
Physical Setting
PSA 7 is comprised of Contra Costa County (CCC) in its entirety. ContraCostaCounty is considered to be one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties and has 19 incorporated cities. It is spread over 750 square miles, bordered by San FranciscoBay to the West, San PabloBay and the Sacramento River Delta to the North, San JoaquinCounty to the East and AlamedaCounty to the South. Hills effectively divide the county into three distinct regions, which mirror how social, health, and other services are predominantly structured: East, West, and CentralCounty. CentralCounty is sometimes further delineated by “SouthCounty” to cover the communities of Danville, San Ramon and Alamo. CentralCounty is the most affluent region of the county.
The portions of the county bordering water are where the heaviest industries are located, including several oil refineries and chemical plants along the Bay and Delta areas. The most inland areas are where the most rural portions of the county remain, although these areas have been greatly reduced. Areas along major freeways, particularly in CentralCounty, make up the areas where major business parks and commercial centers are located.
EasternContraCostaCounty has been the part of the county with the most growth in housing. Open farmland and orchards have been replaced with new housing tracts. Cities have grown tremendously over the last decade in EastContraCostaCounty. EastCounty cities include: Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood and the unincorporated areas of BethelIsland in the Delta, Knightsen, Byron, and DiscoveryBay. Only Knightsen continues to be classified as a rural community. Oakley, a city with 33,000 residents, incorporated only 10 years ago on July 1, 1999. EasternContraCostaCounty cities of Antioch, Oakley, and Brentwood are expected to double, triple, and quadruple in their population in 25 years, respectively. (ABAG Projections series)
CentralContraCostaCounty is a predominantly suburban area with a mixture of housing and commercial and financial centers. CentralCounty cities include: Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Walnut Creek, Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Danville, San Ramon, Alamo and the unincorporated areas of Canyon, Clyde, and Rheem. Concord has a significant pocket of limited English-language speakers and a corridor of low-income residents. CentralCounty rests in a valley between hills and service organizations sometimes refer to CentralCounty as the DiabloValley area. This is because Mt.Diablo is the major feature of the natural environment in CentralCounty.
Concord is also notable because of a large tract of open land being converted from military use to civilian use and is the focus of smart growth planning efforts. The Concord Naval Weapons Station represents a most remarkable opportunity county-wide and perhaps Bay Area-wide to build a mixture of senior and family-friendly housing clustered around a transit hub, while preserving huge tracts of open space for habitat preservation. As of the writing of this Area Plan, a community process has narrowed down the development plans to a “clustered villages” scenario, which focus on intensifying building around the N. Concord BART station. Substantial senior housing is a component of the plan and AAA will watch the development closely during the 2012-2016 Area Plan period to ensure that the senior housing coupled with non-driving mobility options will be a model for all to emulate.
WestCounty is the most urbanized section of the county with the City of Richmond as its largest city. It is not unusual for WestCounty residents to seek services in the NorthernAlamedaCounty cities of Berkeley and Oakland. WestCounty cities include: El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules and the unincorporated areas of El Sobrante, Rodeo, Crockett, Port Costa and Kensington.
ContraCostaCounty has extensive and varied transportation facilities, including ports accessible to ocean-going vessels, railroad, highways, commuter rail (Bay Area Rapid Transit -- BART), and bus lines. Because of the regional divisions within the county, different public transportation providers, with the exception of BART, provide bus service to each region of the county. Traffic congestion has been the mark of the county’s remarkable growth. Hundreds, if not thousands, of commute hours are lost daily on Highways 4 and 24, and Interstate 680.
Climate
One other notable aspect to ContraCostaCounty and PSA 7 is that each region of the county has differing temperatures and climates. WestCounty, which fronts onto San Francisco and San PabloBays, generally has the most moderate temperatures in both winter and summer seasons. The further east one travels along Highway 4, the hotter and drier the climate becomes in the summer and the colder it can become in the winter. In past summers we have helped disseminate information on cooling shelters to assist vulnerable seniors to seek relief from the heat. In the June 2008 fires we also assisted in encouraging people with compromised health conditions to limit their activities while we had several weeks of terrible air quality because of the extensive fires, including a major fire to the north of us in Napa and Solano counties. Because CentralCounty rests in a valley, the smoke was trapped there longer than elsewhere in the county. Lastly, fog can be typical during certain times of the year and limited visibility has repercussions for vehicle travel.
Demographics
In 25 years, over nine million people will live in the San Francisco Bay Area – two million more than today. Over 25% will be over age 65. This increase is due to the aging of the Baby Boomers and immigration. (ABAG Projections series). Census Data shows ContraCostaCounty has 1,049,025 residents in 2010. The County grew by 100,209 residents (since the 2000 Census) or 10.6% making Contra Costa the fastest growing County in the Bay Area. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) projects that most of ContraCostaCounty’s growth will continue in EastCounty, where over 250,000 people are expected to live. ABAG estimates that Antioch’s population will grow by 17%, Brentwood’s by 43% and Oakley by 26% over the next 25 years. These three cities, along with Byron and DiscoveryBay, also in EastCounty will represent 32% of ContraCostaCounty’s projected growth.
PSA 7 has two large senior communities: Rossmoor in the central County city of Walnut Creek and Summerset in Brentwood. Rossmoor has almost 10,000 seniors, Summerset has over 2000 housing units, and Brentwood has over 6,000 senior residents in total. In 2008 ContraCostaCounty had a projected 188,299 residents aged 60+ or 18% of the total county population. This is an increase of almost 32% over the elderly population listed in the 2005-2009 Area Plan. Of the county residents in 2008, 53,864 or 29% are from minority groups. Almost 6,000 seniors age 65+ receive SSI/SSP and 15,000 people age 65+ are eligible for Medi-Cal. About 31% of the county’s population or 57,947 are age 75+. The County runs its own health plan, which reports that it has enrolled 3612 people age 60+ in its special needs program (dual coverage, Medicare and Medi-Cal).
By many standards ContraCostaCounty is an affluent county. However, significant pockets of immigrant, low-income, and minority communities exist in each region of the county. In WestCounty, Richmond and the surrounding cities house the poorest people and communities of color, notably African American and Southeast Asian populations. In CentralCounty, Concord has many Hispanics living along a major road, Monument Boulevard, and is referred to as the “Monument Corridor”.
In the American Community Survey for 2005-2007 (US Census Bureau) 24.4% of Contra Costa County households received Social Security income with a mean dollar amount of $15, 249; 3.7% received Supplemental Security Income or a mean of $8,870, and 18.9% of county households received some sort of retirement income for an mean of $26,048. Of the people age 65+, 5.2% met the federal poverty rate.
EastCounty has many Spanish-speakers and immigrants, perhaps a holdover of its more agricultural origins. The East County City of Pittsburg has some interesting statistics which illustrate larger trends. For example, in its recent draft housing element it cites that the age group with the largest percentage increase are those aged 55-64 at 61.5% between the years of 2000 and 2008. The next largest percentage increase was in those aged 65+ at 20.5% for the same time period. The aging of the Baby Boomers is coming home quite literally in the County.
The City of Pittsburg also notes in their housing element that their senior households are the most at risk of homelessness because 70% of their senior households (defined as age 65+) that rent earn less than 50 percent of area median income and 58% in 2000 experienced a housing problem. To corroborate the City of Pittsburg’s observations, the US Census Bureau data set for 2005-7 estimates that in Contra Costa County there are 20,495 people age 65+ who live alone and are homeowners. The Census Bureau also lists 7814 renters age 65+ who live alone county-wide. These statistics point to the reality that many seniors throughout the county face isolation and increased economic insecurity because they are not sharing living expenses with others in their households. We expect that due to economic downturn and the rising number of foreclosures in ContraCostaCounty, that the number of renters as well as the number of homeless will continue to be on the rise.
Since the passage of AB 2920, ContraCostaCountyAAA recognizes the need to address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) seniors. As of 2006, there were nearly 3 million gay men and lesbians over the age of 55 in the US. According to “Outing Age,” by 2030 there will be as many as 7 million LGBT older adults in the United States. 14% of LGBT households have at least one veteran, compared to 11 only in heterosexual households. Only 19% of the 92.6% of LGBT older adults 75 or older living in the community report any involvement with their local senior center. The Williams Institute published a census snapshot in October 2008 which highlights some trends of same-sex couples and LBGT individuals. ContraCostaCounty has 2,786 same sex couples or .78% of all households in the county and an estimated 12,869 LGBT individuals or 1.7% of the county’s adult population. About 8.7% of same sex couples have one partner age 65 or older. This is approximately 240 people. Also of note is that 25% of same sex couples and LGBT individuals are Latinos or Latinas statewide.
SECTION 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA AGENCY ON AGING (AAA)
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors was designated as the CountyAAA governing body on May 20, 1975. The California Department on Aging first granted funding of PSA 7 Older Americans Act, Title III money for the period September 1, 1975 - June 30, 1976. During this first contract period, the Advisory Council was set up and other formative steps were taken to establish the Contra Costa Office on Aging, as the Area Agency on Aging was first called. The AAA was established on February 4, 1976 within the County Social Service Department, now known as the Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD). The AAA currently resides within EHSD’s Aging and Adult Services Bureau.
CCC Advisory Council on Aging
The Advisory Council on Aging has 40 member seats, 19 seats appointed by City Jurisdictions and 21 Member at Large seats, all approved and appointed by the CountyBoard of Supervisors. It is advisory to the Board of Supervisors. It holds an annual public hearing to inform the community and affirm its activities. Its committees consist of the executive committee, planning committee, and membership committee. In addition it has the following workgroups: Housing, Health, Legislative, and Transportation. An Advisory Council member also sits on the Consolidated Planning and Advisory Council which provides advisory support to the Mental Health Department in planning and disseminating Prop 63 Mental Health Services Act funds. The Advisory Council committees are entirely comprised of Advisory Council members. The workgroups are open to community members at large as well as Advisory Council members. The composition of the Advisory Council is representative of the demographics and geography of the county as a whole with ethnic and racial diversity.
Through the planning committee the advisory council provides oversight to the AAA. The planning committee provides input into needs assessments, goals, objectives, and setting priorities for the Area Plan. This committee also reviews the services that the AAA contracts with.
ContraCostaCountyAAA Programs andInitiatives
The findings from the AAA surveys, in general, indicate that ContraCostaCounty’s senior population and the demand for long-term care and support services continues to grow as Baby Boomers age, but inversely senior services are decreasing due to budget cuts. This raises real concerns that seniors in social and economic need may not be receiving necessary assistance because of fewer available services. Adding to this concern is looming potential State budget cuts to adult day health care programs, Multipurpose Senior Services (MSSP), Medi-Cal, and In-Home Supportive Services.
Addressing the increasing demand for services is challenging during the current economic crisis. The AAA will continue to prioritize objectives and strategically collaborate with the aging service network to examine and plan ways to retain, expand, or enhance the county’s service delivery system.
In this next Area Plan Cycle, FY2012-FY2016, the AAA will continue to collaborate with staff from Contra Costa County In-Home Supportive Services and Volunteer and Emergency Services to plan and develop a Volunteer Care Coordination Program. We recognize that volunteers could be a significant resource during the current economic climate. To make use of this resource we plan to draw on trained volunteers to assist seniors and their families with the process of planning and coordinating long-term care and supportive services. The Care Coordination Program is currently in the early phase of planning. As well, the Area Agency on Aging as part of the overall Aging and Adult Services Bureau of the Employment and Human Service Department will likely be collaborating with various parts of the County Health Department as the County addresses how it will meet the ever increasing need for long term integrated care.