If you are 60 years of age or older, Placer County’s Older Adult Advisory Commission (OAAC) and the Placer County Health and Human Services Adult System of Care would like to hear from you.
The County and the OAAC want to ask older adults living in Placer County about their immediate needs and concerns now and also what they anticipate as future needs. Armed with that information, the county can better plan to meet its future service and facility needs, particularly to serve an increasing older adult population.
The County has experienced significant growth during the last 15 years, a trend expected to continue. Future population projections indicate that the number of older adults will more than double by 2025.
“Although there are the basic, common needs in the older adult population, there are also unique needs that each generation feels are particularly important to them,” said District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes.
“I would encourage the members of our older adult population in Placer County to get a survey and fill it out so that we can understand which county services are the most important to them, and how they can best obtain them.”
A local consulting firm, Millennium Advantage, has been hired to conduct the needs assessment. So far, the firm has drafted a survey instrument and has tested it with two focus groups. Five thousand copies of that survey instrument will be available after the first of the year at more than 30 sites frequented by seniors.
The written survey asks questions about services used, service barriers, service locations, information networks, transportation, housing, health and safety issues and similar questions. All survey respondents remain anonymous.
Residents will be able to find the survey forms at many senior housing complexes and senior centers, at several large churches and mobile home parks. For more complete information about where a survey form may be obtained, contact Eldon Luce, Program Manager, Placer County Health and Human Services Adult System of Care, at 530-886-3686 or eluce@placer.ca.gov.
The project is being paid for by the Placer County Redevelopment Agency. Community members are involved through the OAAC. Placer County Facility Services, Health and Human Services and local community-based organizations will use the information for future planning purposes.
All survey forms must be completed and returned by January 25, 2008. A final report will be due in March.