The Future of Aging and Longevity - Flipbook - Page 11
“Care for older adults can shi昀琀
from reac琀椀ve and fragmented
to proac琀椀ve, team-based, and
person-centered.”
Within this model, pa琀椀ents are 20 percent
less likely to die prematurely from cancer and
33 percent less likely from heart disease than
non-Kaiser Permanente members in their
communi琀椀es. Through value-based incen琀椀ves,
these systems have proven a key point: When
teams integrate and pay for the whole person,
older adults fare be琀琀er, and the system spends
smarter. By priori琀椀zing “what ma琀琀ers most,” Kaiser
Permanente has embedded caregiver support and
community resources into its older adult strategy.
Through Program of All-Inclusive Care for the
Elderly, enhanced home health, and advanced care
at home, we have seen that when delivery systems
partner with community organiza琀椀ons, pa琀椀ents
live longer, healthier, and more meaningful lives.
The Next Decade: The Policy and
Systemic Impera琀椀ve
We must start with the people who live within
these systems. At The SCAN Founda琀椀on, listening
is founda琀椀onal to our work. We believe policy
should be designed around what people tell us
they need, rather than 昀椀琀�ng their lives into preexis琀椀ng programs. This is especially true for those
o昀琀en le昀琀 behind: older adults of color, those with
lower incomes, and those in rural communi琀椀es.
The hard truth is that clinical innova琀椀on has
outpaced policy and 昀椀nancing. We know what
good care looks like but lack the infrastructure to
scale these models from pilots to popula琀椀on-wide
standards.
Aging care should be treated as essen琀椀al
public infrastructure. That means making longterm care a昀昀ordable and available at home,
coordina琀椀ng care for people dually enrolled in
Medicare and Medicaid, and building policies that
re昀氀ect how health, daily life, and social needs
connect. The Aging & Disability Health Policy Lab
provides the nonpar琀椀san infrastructure to analyze
and scale long-term policy solu琀椀ons. California’s
Master Plan for Aging o昀昀ers a tangible blueprint
that other states can adapt. Ul琀椀mately, we must
build with the community, not for them.
Call to Ac琀椀on: Public-Private
Synergy
Policy and delivery must move together. Neither
the market nor the government alone can achieve
this; philanthropy can help de-risk the connec琀椀ve
琀椀ssue between them.
• Public-private partnerships: Incen琀椀vize crosssector data sharing between health systems
and community-based organiza琀椀ons to
coordinate care.
• Payment frameworks: Reward wholeperson outcomes over volume so integrated
care becomes 昀椀nancially sustainable, not
excep琀椀onal.
• Community accountability: Build accountability
in from the start so individuals, families,
and caregivers shape how care is designed,
governed, and measured.
These ac琀椀ons will succeed only if they reach
the older adults most o昀琀en overlooked. This is the
work of “uncommon bedfellows”—health systems,
government, philanthropy, and community
organiza琀椀ons—coming together to drive systemic
change.
Conclusion
The next decade is about opera琀椀onalizing what
the last 10 years have taught us. If we set the right
condi琀椀ons today, we can build a system in which
aging at home and in the community is the norm,
not the excep琀椀on. This is work for the long haul,
but it is within our reach.
A D ECA D E O F P RO GRE S S , A D ECA D E TO ACT
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