MJ Donahue, executive director of Alliance on Aging, presented the Local Aging and Disability Action Plan (LADAP) and summarized advisory work, community surveys and priority recommendations.
Lede: Alliance on Aging on Aug. 18 presented the Local Aging and Disability Action Plan to the Gonzales City Council, outlining community-sourced priorities to improve services, mobility and access for older adults and people with disabilities in rural Monterey County.
Nut graf: The LADAP work was funded by a California Department of Aging grant awarded in August 2023. The plan was developed with an advisory council representing 37 organizations and 15 community members, community assessments (397 survey respondents) and eight bilingual solution summits that engaged 232 participants across the project area.
Body: "My name's MJ Donahue. I am the new executive director for Alliance on Aging," Donahue said, explaining that the report was developed under the direction of the prior executive director and through broad community engagement. She summarized priority recommendations across AARP’s eight livability domains, adapted for rural contexts and with an added focus on disaster preparedness.
Selected priorities Donahue highlighted include: creating community-based civic participation groups to increase interaction with city and county representatives; producing employment and resource guides for older adults and people with disabilities; developing rural communication strategies (Spanish and English) for services and disaster preparedness; improving access to specialists and transportation for health care in rural South Monterey County; promoting accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as an affordable housing option for older adults; targeting sidewalk and traffic-control repairs with Salinas as a pilot site; expanding senior social programming; and strengthening community supports that reduce isolation.
Council members and staff thanked Alliance on Aging for the work; Council Member Silva and others noted the organization’s role in senior luncheons, chair-yoga and other programming. Donahue said the report and executive summary are available in English and Spanish on allianceonaging.org and that Teresa Sullivan (former director) was available via Zoom for questions.
Ending: The presentation was informational; no council action or vote was taken. Council members and staff indicated interest in continued partnership and local implementation of selected recommendations.