California Association for Adult Day Services

Statewide Overview

Age

The Census 2000 found that the median age of California’s population is two years younger than the nation, mostly attributable to younger immigrants with children. However, California has a greater proportion of people 65 and older (65+) in comparison to the nation. In California, those 65 and older represent 10.6% of the population or nearly one in every 9 Californians. Nationally, 5.0% of the population, or one in 20 Americans, is 65+.

The impact of these numbers can be felt in many counties and communities as families, friends and caregivers struggle to provide care for loved ones. Long term care services are fragmented or often not available.

“The aging of the population can be seen in … California counties where the median age is
10 years older than the state’s. Health care facilities are burdened in winter, transportation
services are nearly maxed out and caregivers are worn out.”

“Like the storm brewing over the mountains, the challenges facing today’s retirees
will only become bigger when the number of seniors doubles in the
next 20 years as the baby boomers retire. That leaves counties
trying to assess what services they’ll be tapped to provide.”

Nancy Weaver Teichert, Sacramento Bee, July 4, 2001

Generally, those counties with the highest percentage of older people are rural counties, where it is often difficult to provide needed services due to geographic challenges or distance. Most of these counties are in Northern or Central California.

Counties with the highest percent of older people:

65 and Older		85 and Older		Oldest Median Age
Lake	19.5%	Napa	2.4%	Calaveras	44.6
Inyo	19.1%	Sierra	2.4%	Trinity	44.6
Tuolumne	18.5%	Inyo	2.3%	Plumas	44.2
Calaveras	18.2%	Butte	2.1%	Sierra	43.7
Siskiyou	18.1%	Lake	2.0%	Nevada	43.1
		Siskiyou	2.0%	Siskiyou	43.0

Race

The Census 2000 found that California is an ethnically diverse state, with no one group or race comprising a majority for the first time in our history. Diversity marks our state population and immigration shapes our state. One of every 3 persons is Latino or Hispanic; one in 9 is Asian; one in 16 is Black or African American; and one in 37 is multi-racial. And these minorities are rapidly aging, too, often with differing needs. California needs to prepare for the impact on the long term care system as minority populations and immigrants, with significant differences in cultural and family values, have increasingly documented health disparity.

Income

California ranks above average nationally in both high and low income categories. Middle class families are in an economic bind, squeezed by increasingly pricey housing and fewer mid-range jobs. Income and affordable/accessible housing issues cannot be separated from viability of long term care services, impacting seniors, individuals with disabilities, their families, caregivers, employees and providers. In other words, workers, families and individuals need incomes that allow them to live comfortably, and require housing that is both available and affordable. Therefore, wage rates for selected long term care employees and paid caregivers are displayed Ð Registered Nurse (RN), Home Health Aide (HHA), In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), Medical Social Worker (MSW), Physical Therapist (PT), and Nurse Assistant Ð along with unemployment rates, projected job needs, median income and poverty levels by county.

“Fresh evidence that striking income gap persists between the richest and
poorest residents—44% of California homes are rentals. Many families devote more than
30% of their income to paying the monthly rent. One-fifth of California homeowners spend
40% or more of their income on mortgage and housing costs.”

Stuart Silverstein and Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times, August 6, 2001

Housing

During the last decade, California’s population grew by 13.8%, but housing grew only 9.2%, creating a stunning disparity between supply and demand. There has been a sharp decline in housing units available for rent or sale; 33% are unavailable because they are used part-time as vacation homes or for other use.

Rentals are down 37% from ten years ago, declining from 5.9% to 3.7%; home ownership increased slightly from 55.6% to 56.9%, but was still well below the national homeownership average of 66.2%. Vacancy rates for rentals and homes are displayed, as well as median home prices, as key indicators that impact the provision of long term care in a community or county.

Transportation

Commuting habits in California are mostly unchanged, but commutes are growing longer. Mass transit is up slightly, but carpooling has dropped, and most people still drive to work alone. Transportation is another key link in the long term care puzzle. Seniors and people with disabilities may not be able to drive and may need transportation assistance to shop, to take care of their medical needs, to stay connected with friends and families, to get to work, and/or to maintain their independence.

County Comparisons

A number of key indicators are used to rank counties into the highest, middle and lowest third of all 58 counties for comparison purposes. These indicators help to paint a picture that is summarized in the Emerging Long Term Care Issues section for each county. These key indicators include demographic and program information as well as both long term care home-and-community-based services, and facility-based services. These latter services are ranked as a ratio of services per 1,000 population using the total 65+ and disabled population in each county to provide a comparison of the availability of services.

California Association for Adult Day Services
921 11th Street Suite 701
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 552-7400
Fax: (916) 552-7404
Email: caads@caads.org

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