Register for the webinar here.

Location: Zoom, hosted by UC Law SF (Will be recorded and available to registrants)

 

Description

Older adults navigate a complex web of systems — health and long-term care, housing, and social services — that are often designed, funded, and delivered in silos. Practitioners working in one part of this landscape often have limited visibility into the others, which can create gaps in referrals, care coordination, and advocacy.

This 90-minute online orientation is designed for practitioners who are already working in or adjacent to the aging field but have not had formal exposure to other systems of care. Whether you come from a health or long-term care setting, a housing or community development role, a legal or advocacy background, or community-based social services work, this session will give you a shared map of how the systems fit together, what each one covers, how it is funded, and where the seams and gaps are. No prior expertise across all systems is assumed.

The session will describe national frameworks applicable to practitioners in any state but have special focus on California programs. Resources available in any state will be provided.

Attendees will be encouraged to attend an in-person, full day convening on Wednesday, September 23^rd at UC Law SF titled “Aging Well: Health, Housing, and Justice in California.” Free registration by September 1: https://www.uclawsf.edu/event/aging-well-health-housing-and-justice-in-california/

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the need for and role of long-term care supports and services among older adults. Explain the critical distinction between Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) with respect to long term care coverage and why it matters for older adults and their families.
2. Describe the continuum of long-term care supports and services— from home and community-based services to skilled nursing facilities — and explain how it is accessed and financed.
3. Identify the major housing options for older adults, including subsidized, supportive, and age-restricted housing, and explain the funding and eligibility landscape for each.
4. Identify the structure and key services of the aging services network under the Older Americans Act.
5. Share an example of how these systems intersect and create gaps in care for older adults.
6. Apply a cross-system lens to their own practice by identifying at least one referral pathway or coordination opportunity outside their primary area of work.

Speakers

Lauren Carden, Director, California Housing Advocacy, Justice in Aging

Kelly Dearman, Executive Director, Department of Disability & Aging Services, San Francisco Human Services Agency

Sarah Hooper, Professor of Practice, Associate Dean and Executive Director of the UCSF-UC Law SF Consortium

Jarmin Yeh, Associate Professor, Institute for Health & Aging, UCSF