As a resident of Los Angeles, I strongly urge you to reject the proposed elimination of the standalone Department of Aging. In Mayor Bass’s Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget, she proposes that the department become a Senior Services division under the Community Investment and Family Development Department and eliminate several staff positions. This proposal will result in the loss of expertise and a reduction in the delivery of programs and services that serve this vulnerable population.
The Department of Aging’s Family Caregiver Support Program has allowed Alzheimer’s Los Angeles to provide over 800 hours of respite care to dementia family caregivers just in this last year. Dementia family caregivers provide millions of unpaid hours of care, often at the cost of their own expense of their own wellbeing, finances, and mental and physical health. For those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, the challenges of caregiving can be even greater. They may be providing medical care and managing complex issues and behaviors such as wandering, hallucinations, and sundowning. By providing a few hours of paid care, these family caregivers can have some time to care for themselves, run errands, and rest.
Older adults account for nearly a quarter of our City’s population, and nearly a quarter of the homeless population. By 2030, 1 million residents will be an older adult. This population is growing, and its diversity in culture, ethnicity, and language is changing too. Now is the time to invest in older adults, not hide it within a bigger department.
I strongly urge you to reject the proposal of the elimination of the Department of Aging and ensure robust funding for the department and its important programs.
