TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to update the Long Beach Strategic Plan for Older Adults and create an action plan to highlight and address priority areas, as well as, the feasibility of creating a City of Long Beach Office on Aging; and report back to City Council within six months.
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach is currently the home of 65,000 senior citizens which is the larqest age population within the City borders, yet the most underserved. Each year, our seniors and their families are faced with difficult situations. From in-home assistance and elder abuse to transportation and housing, all these can be difficult without the proper assistance.
To address some ofthese issues, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with an Advisory/Oversight Committee that included core community members and organizations, created the Long Beach Strategic Plan for Older Adults. The plans purpose was to address the needs of the elderly, including safety, transportation, housing, health, and improving their quality of life.
Since its creation in 2005, the plan has not been updated. It was inducted into the City Plan 2010, however very few of the action plans' suggestions have been implemented since the creation. It is essential that we continue to provide these services and that we do not loose sight of our wise and fragile community members needs.
The Action Plan should include identifying existing resources for seniors at the City and County levels and determining the feasibility of creating a City of Long Beach Office on Aging through the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate senior programs across the City to address the priorities in the revised Long Beach Strategic Plan for Older Adults.
Throughout California, many cities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, and Freernont have realized the need of an Office on Aging to fur...
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