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Lake County designates June 2025 Older Americans and Dependent Adult Awareness Month
Summary
The Lake County Board of Supervisors on June 20 adopted a proclamation recognizing June 2025 as Older Americans and Dependent Adult Awareness Month, citing rising numbers of residents over 60, concerns about elder abuse, and calls for volunteers and services including Meals on Wheels and long-term care ombudsman programs.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors on June 20, 2025, adopted a proclamation designating June 2025 as Older Americans and Dependent Adult Awareness Month in Lake County.
The proclamation cites the federal Older Americans Month program established by the Administration for Community Living and the 2025 theme, "Flip the Script on Aging," and highlights demographic and safety concerns: it notes that Californians over 60 are projected to increase 166 percent from 2010 to 2060 and that a National Institute of Justice study found about 11 percent of older adults reported at least one form of mistreatment in the past year. The board’s statement urges residents to report suspected elder or dependent-adult abuse to local adult protective services, long-term care ombudsman programs, law enforcement or emergency services.
Rachel Dillman Parsons, Lake County social services director and executive director of the Area Agency on Aging for Lake and Mendocino counties, thanked senior centers, In-Home Supportive Services providers and other partners and encouraged resident involvement. "I would also like to thank all of the senior centers and the IHSS providers, all of our partners out there who are serving our community, the elderly and the disabled," Parsons said, adding a request for volunteers to support senior programs.
Amy Shemansky, deputy director over adult services programs, praised staff who provide adult protective services and in‑home support. "This is the work that's close to my heart," Shemansky said, noting the county’s workforce that serves older and dependent adults.
A social worker who identified himself as Joseph with Community Care Management described the county’s services as "paramount" for elders and praised the visibility and assistance those programs provide.
Speakers and several supervisors at the dais also noted financial pressures on residents on fixed incomes and urged continued support for programs that enable older adults to remain in their homes. County staff mentioned a Lake County Resource Conservation District defensible‑space program that has limited funds and which staff said should prioritize seniors who need help preparing properties for fire season.
The board’s proclamation references World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (observed June 15), Governor Gavin Newsom’s June 10, 2019, executive order N‑14‑19 calling for a 10‑year Master Plan for Aging, and the California Elder and Disability Justice Coordinating Council as part of state efforts to strengthen services for older adults and dependent‑adult victims of abuse and neglect.
The board signed and adopted the proclamation; supervisors and attendees posed for a group photo and the board noted it had prepared proclamations for each county senior center as well.
