The federal poverty guideline, used to determine income eligibility for many public programs, covers less than half of the basic costs experienced by adults age 65 and older in the state. This report shows how the new Elder Economic Security Standard index (Elder Index) for California provides an empirically-based measure that more accurately reflects county-level costs faced by older adults in the state. In 2007, the federal poverty guideline for a single, elderly person was an annual income of $10,210, and for an older couple, $13,690. But according to the report's calculations, broken down by each California county, a basic annual cost of living for a retired older adult, in good health and living in rental housing, averages $21,011, reaching a high of $27,550 in San Mateo County. The supplemental materials include the Elder Index for each California county together with information on the health care, housing, food, transportation, and miscellanous costs that comprise the Elder Index. The Elder Index is part of a statewide initiative to raise awareness, and to promote policy and programs, that assures income adequacy for all of the state's older adults. The statewide initiative is led by the Insight Center for Community Economic Economic Development, which is part of a national project headed by Wider Opportunities for Women.

The federal poverty guideline, used to determine income eligibility for many public programs, covers less than half of the basic costs experienced by adults age 65 and older in the state. This report shows how the new Elder Economic Security Standard index (Elder Index) for California provides an empirically-based measure that more accurately reflects county-level costs faced by older adults in the state. In 2007, the federal poverty guideline for a single, elderly person was an annual income of $10,210, and for an older couple, $13,690. But according to the report's calculations, broken down by each California county, a basic annual cost of living for a retired older adult, in good health and living in rental housing, averages $21,011, reaching a high of $27,550 in San Mateo County. The supplemental materials include the Elder Index for each California county together with information on the health care, housing, food, transportation, and miscellanous costs that comprise the Elder Index. The Elder Index is part of a statewide initiative to raise awareness, and to promote policy and programs, that assures income adequacy for all of the state's older adults. The statewide initiative is led by the Insight Center for Community Economic Economic Development, which is part of a national project headed by Wider Opportunities for Women.

Falls, disability and hunger are surprisingly common aspects of life for California seniors, according to this policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. More than one out of five California seniors experience one or more of these issues which – separate from medical conditions often related to aging – present significant challenges to independent living. Using data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, the authors look at the prevalence of falls, disability, and hunger among California seniors, and then analyze how these issues relate to each other. The authors also identify relationships between these issues and incident of chronic health conditions, income, and race/ethnicity.