How can states build an age-friendly environment for seniors? For California, the roadmap is outlined in a Master Plan for Aging — which received a significant revision this May in light of the pandemic.   California’s Master Plan for Aging Did you know that California’s over-60 population is projected to grow faster than any other age group in the next 9 years? Looking at the numbers, 10.8 million Californians will be older adults by 2030 — meaning seniors will make up one quarter of the state’s population. Crafted in response and released in January of this year, California’s Master Plan for Aging works to prioritize the health and well-being of older adults. The plan is a blueprint for the state’s communities to create environments where people of all ages and abilities are engaged, valued and afforded opportunities. With 5 bold goals and 23 intricate strategies, the plan aims to build a California for all ages by 2030.  The plan’s latest revision and pandemic response Given the devastating losses and serious risks faced by older adults during COVID-19, the Master Plan for Aging underwent an urgent revision in May 2021. The new-and-improved plan seeks to address pressing needs for pandemic recovery — all while investing in the resilience of California’s seniors. The revision includes $3.8 billion in new funding with goals centered around housing, health, isolation prevention, caregiving and affordable aging. Here’s a breakdown of what the budget increase covers: Workforce development investments to help support aging healthcareA comprehensive approach to Alzheimer’s disease, with funding dedicated to public awareness, care standards and geriatric workforce developmentFunding for the Department of Social Services to preserve and expand housing for low-income seniors, ensuring housing stability in the tail-end of the pandemic Looking to learn more? Explore the Master...

A major trend in 2017 was the prevalence of discussion around sexual harassment in many workplaces. Seemingly every week heard new reports of high-profile offenders, despite decades of preventative efforts by employers and government regulators. In 2018, it’s likely that major changes are on the horizon. PBS provides an excellent overview of the history of harassment policy, and how training has evolved since being first introduced in the 1980s. The article cites a report from a task force set up by the United States Department of Equal Employment which found that training likely failed to prevent harassment because it were too focused on simply protecting employers from legal liability. One example of an evolving training policy is happening in California. State legislators passed a bill in the fall of 2016 that requires managers receive training which includes the topics of gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The requirement applies to companies with more than 50 employees and went into effect on January 1, 2018. “Training is vital to prevent harassment from occurring, but it’s clear that the curriculum must evolve as the issue changes over time. That’s one of the great things about online training, it can be quickly updated and efficiently rolled out to learners at very little cost compared with producing and shooting a new video,” said Patty Evans, director of corporate training for Yardi. Yardi recently announced that its Yardi eLearning sexual harassment classes are fully compliant with the new California law. The team worked to update courses so that California-based clients could comply with new state law as it went into effect. “Gender identity and sexual orientation are long past due when it comes to inclusion in harassment training. We’re proud to make this important instructional material available not...