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The SCAN Foundation launches a series of California Specific Fact Sheets highlighting Critical Long-Term Care Issues throughout the State

California fact at a glance: The number of Californians age 65 and older is projected to increase by 100% from 2010 to 2030.

LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The SCAN Foundation has released six fact sheets compiling figures from the state of California that provide basic information on long-term care.   Roughly 70 percent of individuals age 65 and above will have long-term care needs at some point in their lives.  When learning of this real likelihood, people feel deeply worried and unprepared.  

According to a March 2010 poll commissioned by The SCAN Foundation with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 66 percent of California voters 40 and older worry about being able to pay for long-term care that they or a family member may need in the future.  Latinos in the state responded to the same question in even higher numbers, with 73% expressing worry about paying for long-term care.

Long-term care refers to a broad range of services that support people with limitations in their ability to care for themselves due to a physical, cognitive, or chronic health condition that is expected to continue for an extended period of time. These disabling conditions may be inherited or acquired, result from an underlying health condition or arise from a condition present at birth.  

"Right now, the system is inadequate to support vulnerable older adults who find it increasingly more challenging to live independently as they age," said Bruce Chernof, MD, president and CEO of The SCAN Foundation.  "These fact sheets provide meaningful and accurate information to policymakers and researchers that will help them to build and sustain critical long-term care services throughout the state."

An individual needing long-term care services generally requires assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)— including bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, and walking; or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)—including meal preparation, house cleaning, and medication management— regardless of the cause of their disability.

Each easy-to-use fact sheet presents a single long-term care issue, highlights main points in bulleted format and provides a comprehensive list of citations.

Topics include:

• Demographic & Economic Characteristics of California's Aging Population  
• Who Needs and Uses Long-Term Care in California?
• Growing Demand for Long-Term Care in California
• Where is Long-Term Care Provided in California? 
• Who Provides Long-Term Care in California?  
• Who Pays for Long-Term Care in California?

The SCAN Foundation will revise the fact sheets regularly as updated information becomes available.  

About The SCAN Foundation

The SCAN Foundation is an independent nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing the development of a sustainable continuum of quality care for seniors that integrates medical treatment and human services in the settings most appropriate to their needs and with the greatest likelihood of a healthy, independent life. The SCAN Foundation supports programs that stimulate public engagement, develop realistic public policy and financing options, and disseminate promising care models and technologies. For more information about The SCAN Foundation, visit www.TheSCANFoundation.org.