As the U.S. population gets older and increasingly diverse, state leaders and other stakeholders recognize the need to advance state-level, cross-sector planning efforts to ensure that the needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers are met over the coming decades. A multisector plan for aging (MPA)* is one such approach to comprehensive planning. A new tool created by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) describes why an MPA is an effective approach to address the needs of an aging population, outlines the core goals of an MPA, and details strategies to generate buy-in and build momentum for an MPA.

This webinar, hosted and made possible by The SCAN Foundation, introduced the recently published Getting Started with a Multisector Plan for Aging tool. CHCS outlined eight key “building blocks” that state leaders, advocates, industry leaders, and other interested stakeholders can use to gain governor and legislature support for an MPA in their states. Leaders from California shared their experience of building public support and implementing an MPA.

*Note: These activities were previously referred to as master plans for aging. Beginning in January 2023, the nomenclature was changed to multisector plans for aging. States use a variety of names for these plans (e.g., master plans, strategic plans, and aging-well plans) but all have the same broad goals.

YouTube video

Agenda

I. Welcome and Introduction

Speaker: Representative from The SCAN Foundation

The SCAN Foundation welcomed participants and discussed the national landscape of comprehensive MPA.

II. Getting Started with a Multisector Plan for Aging

Speakers: Carrie Graham, PhD, Director of Long-Term Services and Supports, and Amy Hoffmaster, MSPH, Program Officer, CHCS

C. Graham and A. Hoffmaster provided an overview of the benefits and core goals of an MPA. They also outlined eight building blocks, based on state experiences, that can help stakeholders pursuing an MPA in their state to catalyze activities and generate buy-in.

III. California’s Experience Building Buy-in for an MPA

Speakers: Susan Demarois, Director, California Department on Aging and Sarah Steenhausen, MS, Director of Policy and Advocacy, The SCAN Foundation

S. Demarois and S. Steenhausen reflected on their experiences advocating for an MPA in California, which was implemented in January 2021. They discussed how California stakeholders gained buy-in for an MPA, including securing gubernatorial support, and factors that led to success.

IV. Moderated Q&A