Monterey County Seniors Digest

These professionals provide essential services, but their pay and working conditions do not reflect their value, and their health suffers.

California’s latest Master Plan for Aging underscores the need for policies to address the challenges aging populations face. But it fails to portray the realities for older adults in rural areas, who are at greater risk of poverty.

A U.S. Senate committee launched an examination of assisted living, holding its first hearing in two decades on the industry as leaders of both parties expressed concern about the high cost and mixed quality of care facilities.

The number of older adults with disabilities that affect their performance of daily tasks will soar in the decades ahead, as baby boomers enter their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Thanks to a $200,000 state grant, the nonprofit Alliance on Aging will develop an action plan for addressing the needs of senior and disabled citizens, particularly in the Salinas Valley.

To qualify for Leqembi, patients must undergo a PET scan that looks for amyloid plaques, the protein clumps that clog the brains of many Alzheimer’s patients.

Retired California government workers will get tens of thousands of dollars if they give up their long-term care insurance.

Every day, thousands of older Californians can’t afford to stock their pantries. State data reveal that two-thirds of eligible Californians over age 60 do not participate in CalFresh, the state’s food stamp program, even though they qualify.

Georgia Reed now lives at Pacific Coast Post-Acute Nursing Home in Salinas, and she doesn’t get have pets anymore. She and other nursing home residents were cheered when 27 robotic cats and dogs were donated by members of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program.

Special monitors sought to oversee Driftwood Health Care in Santa Cruz and 18 of sister operations in California on grounds of chronic understaffing, inadequate patient protections, inflated consumer ratings and false advertising.

Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley has begun a pilot program called SOCOS Social (SOuth COunty Seniors Social). The monthly event offers a space for seniors age 60 and older to enjoy a free meal and learn about local resources.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors were tied 2-2 on a vote to approve the River View at Las Palmas Assisted Senior Living Facility, with two members voicing concerns about fire safety and groundwater depletion. The project will face a second vote before the full board next month.

Great Plates Delivered—a program meant to help vulnerable Monterey County seniors and boost local business during the COVID-19 pandemic—ends July 9. Social Services is working to inform seniors about alternatives, such as Cal Fresh, local food banks, and Meals on Wheels.