LOS ANGELES (CNS) – City Controller Ron Galperin has released what he said is the first comprehensive catalog of services and programs for older adults in an effort to help Los Angeles become the “age friendliest city in America.”
The list of services for older adults in Los Angeles includes 242 programs for meals, housing, transportation, caregiving, classes and other programs among 14 city departments. The list and a related report can be found at lacontroller.org.
Galperin’s office said about 746,000 residents in L.A. are considered older adults — age 60 or above — and that the number is expected to climb to more than 1 million by 2030.
“It’s vital that we do everything we can to serve as many people as we can,” Galperin said. “Every Angeleno deserves a city that works for them — now and tomorrow. With this database and common sense recommendations, we can get closer to ensuring L.A. is the age friendliest city in America.”
Galperin’s office noted that the city has undertaken a number of efforts in recent times to help its older residents, including in 2016, when it initiated Purposeful Aging L.A., which was created in partnership with the Department of Aging and more than a dozen other city departments to work toward making Los Angeles more “age-friendly,” and released the Age-Friendly Action Plan for the Los Angeles Region 2018-2021.
What has been missing in the city, Galperin’s office said, is a comprehensive list of services and programs in a centralized location to help Angelenos become aware of services that are available.
“The controller’s inventory of services to older adults supports the
city’s Purposeful Aging L.A. initiative by beginning the process of identifying the various services and programs the city provides its residents,” said Laura Trejo, general manager of the Department of Aging.
“We appreciate the strides this reports makes and the support it represents on behalf of the city’s older adults.”
The controller’s report also calls for a more organized and focused approach for LADOA to outline more opportunities for collaboration with other departments.