Santa Clara 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.

Avenidas CEO Amy Yotopoulos announced Feb. 9 that she is resigning as leader of Palo Alto’s senior center, ending a seven-year tenure at Avenidas in mid-June.

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.

At the Avenidas Chinese Community Center, the Lunar New Year is more than a yearly tradition, it's become a celebration of freedom and community among elderly Chinese community members.

Low-income seniors finally have a seat at the indoor table after La Comida's senior nutrition program and First United Methodist Church in downtown Palo Alto established a new partnership.

For seniors, the upcoming holiday season can be fraught with the tension of conflicting emotions. Palo Alto's Avenidas recognizes the array of feelings and makes sure it offers activities for everyone, Director Tracy McCloud said.

The group has monthly “gayme” and movie nights at Avenidas, a local senior services nonprofit, as well as many excursions to museums or other activities. Lunch afterward to bond and get to know each other is always on the agenda.

In the new scam, swindlers pretending to be tech support staff, bank employees or government officials contact older adults to deceive them into thinking that foreign hackers have infiltrated their financial account, the FBI said.

The SureStay Motel, which offers temporary housing and services to homeless seniors, is changing service providers for the third time in two years. HomeFirst will start providing food, case management and security, taking the reins from LifeMoves, another non-profit service provider who stepped in for Abode Services last October.

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.

Palo Alto Commons is preparing to take an unusual approach as it seeks to expand its assisted-living facility for seniors: building new apartments on top of existing ones on the property.

The Santa Clara County Housing Authority has purchased Girasol Apartments and Jardines Paloma Blanca from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $4.15 million and $2.65 million, respectively.

After grappling with a $30.7-billion deficit, California lawmakers approved a budget that adds funding for child care, transit and climate change. It also includes $10 million for various local projects.

According to 2020 census data, Saratoga residents’ median age was 50.5, nearly a dozen years older than the nationwide mean of 38.8. As residents age, they face many challenges—and so do the organizations holding their safety net together.

Resident Bakary Diame comes to the Mountain View Senior Center almost every day to enjoy a meal and socialize with his friends, and he relies on a careful combination of biking and public transit to get there.

The West Valley-Mission Community College District is releasing a survey to garner ideas on how to make higher education attractive to an older demographic.

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

Seniors make up 20% of the Los Gatos population, or one in five residents—and that’s expected to grow significantly. Los Gatos Town Council has endorsed a “roadmap” of short- and long-term goals to support the town’s fast-growing older adult population.

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.

Dozens of residents advocated for causes from traffic and transportation to senior services and supporting the homeless population.

Palo Alto senior Judy Ousterhout had been pondering her future as a healthy older adult: Where would she retire? How could she generate extra income? Her backyard was the answer.

Ask Palo Alto residents about their city, and many will praise its parks, job opportunities and educational offerings. But a new survey also shows other concerns.

LGBTQ group AVENIDAS, known for working with stigmatized San Jose youth, turns its sights to elders in Milpitas, creating safe space and a dog-walking group.

San Jose has provided 4,000 low-cost units, and more than 800 new units will be made available for seniors by next spring. But what’s needed is tens of thousands of apartments, says Geoffrey Morgan, president and CEO of First Community Housing.

Milpitas just got SMART. The acronym stands for Simple Mobile Access to Reliable Transit, which will provide app-based mini-van transit on weekdays. Milpitas mayor Rich Tran says, “By moving more people in fewer but more productive vehicles, we are catalyzing a generational shift in how people get around Milpitas.”

"No one ever expected that a pandemic would occur nor that it would last over two years," said Millicent Grant, executive director of the center.

With its revenues on the rise, the city advances an ambitious infrastructure plan that would rehabilitate public buildings and complete streetscape improvements at the Charleston-Arastradero corridor.

State-issued bonds will fund an 80-apartment complex for low-income seniors, half of which will be formerly homeless. The Santa Clara City Council unanimously approved the housing development, to be located at 3333 Kifer Road.

Years in the making, the Vietnamese Service Center is finally opening near San Jose’s Little Saigon area. It will provide health and human services to the more than 140,000 Vietnamese residents of the region.

Los Gatos resident Ed Stahl is 89 years old and has yet to retire from his business. He also hasn’t stopped traveling. After visiting 137 countries, he is planning his fourth trip to Antarctica.