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November 17, 2021

Forum recap: Amplifying All Voices in Aging

Our monthlong series explored aging and engaging with our health care and long-term care systems. We highlighted personal experiences of older Californians, consulted with experts, and captured visual summaries.

The Forum culminated with a poem written in real time bringing us back to the heart of the matter: What do we mean by “aging well” and “aging equitably”? View all the Forum recordings and resources.

Illustration created by graphic recorder Christopher Fuller of Griot's Eye Inc. This illustration summarizes the major themes and ideas that were discussed during The SCAN Foundation's 2021 Forum: Amplifying All Voices in Aging. The graphic is divided into four quadrants. The top left quadrant represents week 1: "Amplifying All Voices in Long-Term Services and Supports Systems Transformation: California State of the State" and some of the selected highlights are: 1) a simple icon representing the COVID-19 shape with white text that says, "COVID-19 has been challenging, but let's not waste the opportunity it gives us!" 2) Next to the COVID-19 drawing is a drawing of a pie with the word "equity" carved into it. Surrounding the pie is the text, "budget planning: Bake equity in!" 3) a drawing of a megaphone that announces, "bring in more voices!" Then in the top right quadrant, the artist has summarized week 2 "From Theory to Practice: Delivering Care for People with Complex Needs" with the following highlights: 1) a drawing of an open toolbox that is labeled "The complex care toolkit." The toolkit's features are listed as: "building blocks for training; guidelines for hiring and attitudes; and case studies." 2) A drawing of a woman's face with an accompanying word balloon that says, "I know, because I've been there." This drawing is headlined by the words, "empathy" and "value the lived experience." 3) a drawing of three people that represents a well-trained interdisciplinary, diverse, care team. The bottom left quadrant features illustrated highlights from week 3 "Transforming Medicare and Medicaid Beyond COVID-19 for a Person-Centered Future." Some of its highlights are: 1) A drawing showing a barn versus a city skyline with the header, "let's expand remote services beyond rural!" 2) A drawing of a nurse practitioner administering an IV with the header "Stabilize the workforce with people working above their license." 3) A drawing of a daughter and her older father having a video visit with a doctor. The header for this illustration is "Telehealth benefits all!" The bottom right quadrant is week 4 "A Future Vision for Aging Well and Equitably Beyond COVID: Reflections from Public Health, Media, and Technology Leaders." The artist has captured two main highlights from that session that both show the importance of storytelling. The first graphic shows a grandmother having a video visit on her computer with her grandchildren. This image is juxtaposed with an older homeless man holding a sign that says, "no food, no home, no water, no power, no wifi." Above their graphic is the header, "make stories personable!" And below the drawing is the words, "make broadband accessible!" The second graphic captured by the artist is a quote from the poem, "Ode to Aging Well and Equitably" by Brian Sonia-Wallace that was created for the 2021 Forum. The quote is: "hidden inequalities cry for storytellers." Tying the four quadrants together is a centerpiece illustration featuring a diverse group of adults, including one man in a wheelchair, family, health care workers, and community members that jointly hold a large sign featuring the name of the event: "2021 Forum: Amplifying All Voices In Aging."

Tags Medicaid, Medicare, Multisector Plan for Aging (MPA), Person-Centered Care