Finding a Path to Support Aging in Place in California
September 29, 2025
New HMA report discusses the unmet needs of older adults in low-income housing, highlighting the challenges of siloed programs and the difficulty in blending services
Research consistently shows that more than 70 percent of Americans want to age in place, remaining in their own homes. Yet the country’s shifting demographics, rising costs for long-term services and supports, and changing financing landscape make achieving this goal more challenging than ever, especially for low-income older adults. In fact, more than one-quarter million older Californians live in senior affordable housing developments that range in size from a few dozen apartments to over a thousand units in large high rises. Most striking was the finding that while many of these residents are not only low-income and disproportionately burdened with chronic disease and also dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare—a group shown in countless studies to represent a considerable proportion of Medicare and Medicaid costs, but that few residents appear to participate in aligned Medicare and Medicaid special needs plans (D-SNPs) or to access Medi-Cal waiver services.
The report gathers direct input from older adults, including Asian populations, in eight languages, addresses critical funding gaps, and identifies policy priorities that if implemented offer innovative recommendations for California to reduce duplication and better serve older adults using current resources.
