Happy New Year from our SBSS family to you! We hope you enjoyed bright and joyful holidays, and that the new year will bring you much happiness.

Speaking of family, we’re excited this month to see the official launch of a new program built for families. The Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP) is a brand new addition to SBSS’ comprehensive suite of services supported by the LA Department Aging. It represents a significant new direction for SBSS as well. While our client services have traditionally been focused on meeting the needs of underserved and disadvantaged older adults, FCSP shifts the focus to their family members who are providing care.

Caregiving is one of the most important and prominent factors in any discussion today about services to older adults. Along with social isolation, cognitive decline and the pressure of affordable housing, it is at the top of virtually every list of the greatest concerns facing our communities as the older portion of the overall population continues to grow.

There is a huge context for what has led organizations such as SBSS to devote more and more attention and resources to the care of caregivers. It’s been over a century since social observers took note of a broad trend: the diminishment of the role of extended family in favor of the rise of the “nuclear” family. In addition, modern American society has become profoundly mobile, so the likelihood of family members living near one another has decreased dramatically. Technology has made it easier to stay connected over long-distance, further reducing the need for physical closeness. And, over the past 50 years, a shift to a primarily youth-oriented culture has meant that older adults have lost much of their traditional place as venerated leaders, while the generational gulf that developed rapidly around the adoption of digital technology further exacerbated the distance.

Onto this context of social change we add health and healthcare. Life expectancies have increased dramatically over the past century, but with longer lives have come additional challenges. While modern medicine offers astounding new treatments, there is something of an exchange: longer life versus quality of life. Many of today’s most dreaded diseases are conditions associated with advanced age, including cancer, heart disease, cognitive decline and memory loss, arthritis, vision and hearing loss, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s), and balance & gait deficiencies. For older adults, who often experience multiple comorbidities, accessing proper healthcare in today’s fragmented system is another layer of burden. For SBSS’ clients, economics make it even harder.

In short, our systems haven’t caught up with the profound changes in family structure, social dynamics and healthcare context that affect caregiving. Just as the healthcare system can feel daunting and overwhelming, so can the universe of caregiving. The ways in which families have adjusted to fill the gap is one of the most important stories of our times. We’re extremely proud to be adding this new facet to the many programs through which we support older adults to live independent, full lives, and to help the people who help them along the way.

Thank you,