L.A. Seniors Count!
Senior Needs Assessment
The Los Angeles County Department of Community and Senior Services and the L.A. City Department of Aging, under the direction of the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging, have concluded a survey designed to determine the extent of the unmet needs of seniors living in the county of Los Angeles. The survey was directed to the seniors themselves rather than the providers or aging network professionals. A four-page survey instrument was developed and pre-tested. Seniors in the pilot study found the questions easy to understand and could complete the questionnaire in 10-15 minutes. Areas covered within the survey include Daily Tasks, Transportation, Social, In-home Services, Housing, Legal, Health, Prevention, and Caregiver Services.
To jump-start the event, the Board of Supervisors proclaimed an L.A. County Seniors Count! Needs Assessment Month. An extensive outreach and distribution plan included senior and recreation centers, libraries, parks, the Superior Court, polling sites, faith-based organizations, and hundreds of service providers. Surveys were mailed to these sites for distribution to seniors served by each agency or organization. Surveys were also available on the Internet. Although originally printed in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Korean – the five most commonly spoken languages in Los Angeles County – in response to community demand the survey was also translated into Armenian and Japanese. The survey, as contemplated, was to reach a minimum of 100,000 seniors 60 years of age or older.
There are approximately 1.3 million seniors living in Los Angeles County. Exceeded by only eight states, the county has the largest population of any county in the nation. Approximately 28 percent of California’s residents live in Los Angeles County. The survey included the 88 cities within the county and also unincorporated areas. The results of this survey will assist Los Angeles to better plan programs for seniors since it addressed their needs as reported by the seniors themselves. Survey findings will be reported to Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles City Council and will be shared with departments within the city and county that deal with seniors. They will be sent to professional aging journals for publication and to aging organizations for presentation at conferences. The information gained by the survey will be used to lobby nationwide for needed programs and services, both in the private and public sectors.
The County Department of Community and Senior Services has underwritten the majority of costs for the survey. Kaiser Permanente provided financial support in the amount of $75,000, and CVS Pharmacy underwrote the cost of refreshments for seniors participating in the survey. We estimate the total cost for the project at $300,000.