OC Cares: Master Plan for Aging Development Background & Next Steps

Statewide Context

In June 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order mandating the creation of a statewide Master Plan for Aging (MPA). This order underscored the state’s commitment to the health and well-being of older Californians and the necessity of policies that foster healthy aging. The State’s MPA acknowledges the rapid growth of its older adult population, with projections indicating that adults aged 60 and above will increase from 16% in 2010 to 25% (10.8 million residents) by 2030.

Orange County’s (OC) Demographic Imperative

OC faces an even more pronounced demographic shift for adults 65 years and older. By 2060, its aging population is projected to be 36% which will be higher than the projected state rate of 33%.

OC’s Development Process

To address this growing need, the County initiated a robust development process for its MPA:

Strategic Alignment: The development of OC MPA was fully aligned with the County’s strategic priorities and its Strategic Financial Plan (SFP) for fiscal years 2021 and 2022 and the OC MPA priority initiatives will continue to align with current and ongoing SFP fiscal years and initiatives.
Advisory Panel Formation: An MPA Steering Committee and Advisory Advisory Committee was established, comprising representatives from key County departments, including the Social Services Agency, County Executive Office, Orange County Community Resources/Office on Aging and Orange County Health Care Agency’s Mental Health Recovery Services and Public Health Services programs.
Authorization of Assessment: After a competitive request for proposal process, on January 11, 2023, the OC Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved a contract with AdvanceOC to conduct a comprehensive, countywide healthy aging This assessment was designed to identify and prioritize the specific needs and factors impacting the health of OC residents aged 60 and older.

Public Outreach and Communication: A press release was issued on September 5, 2023, announcing the launch of the community surveys and detailing upcoming education and resource fairs across hosted by each of the OC BOS in their respective districts. The resource fairs were dynamic, on-the-ground events held in trusted local spaces where older adults already felt Each event was paired with a resource fair, connecting attendees to vital programs, services, and community partners. The MPA advisory panel, in collaboration with AdvanceOC, developed an internal communications plan and a media toolkit to provide messaging and graphic assets for social media, newsletters, and websites to assist Districts, Departments, and community-based organizations in promoting the surveys.
Stakeholder Engagement: The County Executive Office and MPA Advisory Planning Committee launched a strategic planning and development phase, that included the creation of the administration of the OC Older Adult Needs Assessment Surveys. Through three surveys, the purpose of this assessment was to explore the experiences and perspectives of OC’s older adults aged 55 years and older (to project OC residents 60 years and older needs), family and friend caregivers and paid service providers. The combination of these three perspectives provides valuable insights into what is going well within OC and areas for improvement. To stay true to our commitment to ensure every resident was represented, we provided Spanish and Vietnamese language access at the town This was key to making sure older adults across OC - regardless of language - could fully engage, ask questions and receive the information they needed. Advance OC partnered with many different OC community-based organizations to assist in survey distribution and coordinated to ensure survey administration in hard-to-reach populations which included those who were incarcerated and unhoused.

Older Adults Needs Assessment Timeline

June 2019

California’s Executive Order N-14-19

January 2021

California Department of Aging released it’s first Master Plan for Aging roadmap outlining Five Bold Goals

January 2023

Orange County began planning phase for the development of a local Master Plan for Aging

September 2023 – January 2024

Conduct Community Assessment Survey

February 2024 – January 2025

Community assessment data validation, analysis, report and website development

February 2025 – March 2025

Release of the Older Adults Needs Assessment Report

The County Executive Office Data Analytics Team and the Health Care Agency’s Behavioral Health Services Data Analytics and Evaluation Team led the data validation and analysis for all three surveys. In addition, the teams created the OC Older Adults Needs Assessment Report and website with detailed results for all questions within the surveys as well as subgroup findings for demographics. Following the release of the OC Older Adult Needs Assessment Report, the County conducted presentations, including an online presentation that was posted on the OC’s Office on Aging website, and requested feedback at the end of all presentations. Presentations included the following:

OC Older Adults Advisory Commission
OC Behavioral Health Advisory Board
Countywide Online Presentation

The full report, presentation materials including the full online presentation recording can be found on the Office on Aging Website.

Along with the release of the OC Older Adults Needs Assessment Report, additional data sources were examined which included the following:

US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) Population Estimates and Housing Tenure Data
California Department of Finance, Demographics Research Unit Reports
California Department of Aging Dashboard
California Health Interview Survey
American Association of Retired People (AARP) County Livability Ratings
Health Care Access California
OC Aging Services Collaborative local assessment data along with the report titled, Report on Aging in Orange County 2024.

In addition to these external data sources, a service directory following the State’s Five Bold Goals was developed which includes County programs and services related to older adults to examine gaps within the identified areas of need. These data sources will continue to be utilized to determine areas of need and help to guide the implementation of the priority initiatives.