NASHP Brief: California and Ohio Advancing Equity for Older Adults and Family Caregivers
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has released a brief, "California and Ohio Advancing Equity for Older Adults and Family Caregivers."
State plans on aging and master plans on aging (also known as multisector plans on aging) are used to inform policy to improve the lives of older adults and their family caregivers. These plans provide a framework for states to develop aging-specific policy, form targeted goals and track outcomes both in the short and long term.
NASHP reviewed all states' plan on aging and based on their review, two states — California and Ohio — are at the forefront of incorporating equity into infrastructure, data collection and collaboration to support policy for older adults and family caregivers.
Key lessons learned in developing the state plans and master plan for aging include:
- Emphasize equity and reduce disparities to support states’ populations across multiple state agencies
- Acknowledge the disparities and challenges faced by communities of color and rural communities (further highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic) and usage of data to track disparities and success in addressing gaps
- Provide a comprehensive set of tools and resources to empower individuals, groups and communities to collaborate and implement the strategies
This brief was co-written by Health and Aging Policy Fellow Emerson Ea, who also conducted the analysis for this related brief, "Implementing The National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers: Opportunities for Alignment with Other Federal Strategies."
Learn more and read the full brief.
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Learn more about JAHF's support of the Health and Aging Policy Fellows.
