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Since January, federal funding cuts have struck far and wide across a number of local, state and federal programs that tackle a variety of issues. And while the local “Choice in Aging” program in Contra Costa County, California, would be directly impacted if cuts happen, that’s not stopping people there from advocating on behalf of area seniors.
Recently profiled in local news outlet Contra Costa News, the county — located on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area — the program is pressing on despite a “reorganization” plan for the Administration for Community Living (ACL) published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the direction of the U.S. DOGE Service.
Debbie Toth, the president and CEO of the Choice in Aging program — which provides services that promote independence for older and disabled people — told the outlet that the plan would be “devastating” for the group’s efforts. These include an expansion of its focus on aging in place with a dedicated educational and resource facility.
“The elimination of ACL means we lose priority, expertise, uniformity, grants and so much more,” she told the outlet. “It’s also a clear statement that elders and people with disabilities living in community isn’t a priority, which is devastating and infuriating.”
Adding to that is the looming possibility of cuts to Medicaid programs, putting home- and community-based services (HCBS) at serious risk. Toth said that when cuts to Medicaid come, such services are often among the first targets.
This complicates the efforts the organization is making to provide additional services for older residents. These include the construction of a dedicated aging-in-place campus that features senior housing along with services and joint classes for seniors and preschoolers.
The fundraising campaign for its construction is roughly 50% complete, Toth told the outlet. The campus aims to give community seniors access to the information and resources they need to age where they want, which is often within the tight-knit community itself.
“The whole point of the Aging in Place campus is to create a model that will be replicable that allows older adults and adults with disabilities to age in the community, in their setting of choice,” Toth told the outlet. “Not in a skilled nursing facility, and have the social, spiritual and health services that they need, all at their front door.”
Other programs aiming to provide aging-in-place support have similarly reckoned with cuts to their resources.
In Massachusetts, for instance, the state’s Enhanced Community Options Program (ECOP) will cap its total enrollment figure at 7,322 despite currently having more than 9,000 beneficiaries.
