Alliance on Aging representatives presented the Local Aging and Disabilities Action Plan (LADAP) to the Soledad City Council, summarizing two years of community engagement and recommended priorities for older adults and people with disabilities.
Theresa Sullivan said the project received a grant from the California Department of Aging and convened an advisory council of 37 organizations and 15 community members who participated in 45 meetings. The LADAP process included an asset inventory with presentations from 39 organizations, a community assessment with 397 participants in English and Spanish and solution summits across the project area.
“Alliance on Aging was awarded a grant by the California Department of Aging to create a local model of the California master plan on aging,” Sullivan told the council. She outlined priority domains in the plan including civic participation, employment, communication and information, disaster preparedness tailored for older adults and people with disabilities, health services access, housing strategies (including ADUs), community supports to reduce isolation and transportation improvements for rural areas.
Council members thanked the presenters and noted existing city efforts that overlap with LADAP recommendations. Sullivan said the advisory committee will reconvene to adapt recommendations to any changes in state or federal programs and encouraged cities to integrate LADAP into local plans and coordinate with the senior network.