Board of Supervisors approves action plan to support older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today approved a comprehensive 10-year plan to improve the health and well-being of the county’s swelling population of older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers. 

The new Sonoma County Master Plan for Aging provides a blueprint for the public and private sectors to work together as Sonoma County’s rapidly aging population increases demand for affordable and accessible housing, health care, transportation, caregiving and other services. 

“Sonoma County is aging faster than almost any other place in the Bay Area, part of a massive demographic shift that will create both challenges and opportunities,” said Supervisor David Rabbitt, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “This plan is a call to action. By working together, we can make Sonoma County a place where everyone can age well.” 

Sonoma County is home to approximately 142,000 people aged 60 or older, the second-largest concentration of older adults in the nine-county Bay Area. Today, 28 percent of the county’s population is 60 or older, a number projected to increase to 35 percent by 2030, according to the California Department of Finance. At the same time, the county’s aging population is becoming more racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse, with 15 percent of residents born outside the United States.

To meet the needs of an increasingly older, more diverse population, the County’s new Master Plan for Aging outlines 23 strategies to achieve goals in six key areas: 

• Housing: Increase the availability of preventive and supportive services that allow older adults and people with disabilities to age in place without concerns of safety and homelessness. 
• Transportation: Make accessible and safe transportation available for older adults and people with disabilities, regardless of where they live. 
• Health: Bolster assistance for older adults and people with disabilities in accessing the health services and supports they need to maintain and improve their health and well-being. 
• Wellness, equity and inclusion: Ensure that older adults and people with disabilities can easily locate and access information, resources and opportunities for greater social connection. 
• Caregiving: Reinforce the value of caregiving by improving the resources, support and training for paid and unpaid caregivers. 
• Economic Security: Ensure basic needs are affordable and attainable for older adults and people with disabilities. 

Over the next three months, the Sonoma County Department of Human Services will host a series of public meetings across the county to provide an overview of the plan and work with communities to implement its strategies. 

Last year, the Board of Supervisors directed the Human Services Department to create a local strategic plan aligned with the state’s Master Plan for Aging, released in 2021 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The local plan will be used as a tool to help the County, cities, businesses and nonprofits prepare a plan for the future of aging in Sonoma County. 

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Media Contact:
Ted Appel, Communications Specialist
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403