We’re in this together. Older adults and their families have awesome advocates in their corner, and all of us have the power to help the helpers. The needs of older adults keep increasing with time, but resources aren’t keeping up.
Advocates
Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
The Contra Costa County’s Employment & Human Services Department manages and provides a host of services, including the Information & Assistance (I&A) Helpline. Seniors, adults with disabilities, and caregivers may call I&A to speak with knowledgeable social workers to get information, referrals to other services, and assistance with solving problems.
Call: 925.229.8434 or 800.510.2020
https://ehsd.org/elderly-disabled/information-assistance
211 Contra Costa
The Contra Costa County Crisis Center manages a database of useful resources and information for County residents. Social service and health information can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 211 from any phone.
Call: 211
https://ccc.myresourcedirectory.com/index.php/en/
Contra Costa Community Resources
The Information and Assistance (I&A) team developed resource directories for seniors in different regions of Contra Costa County. View and download mini-guides for Central County (English / Spanish), East County (English / Spanish), and West County (English / Spanish).
ACOA – Contra Costa County Advisory Council on Aging
The Contra Costa County ACOA is an engaged group of county residents interested in helping improve the quality of life for older adults in and around Contra Costa County. ACOA provides leadership and advocacy on behalf of older persons and serves as a channel of communication and information on aging issues. To view agendas, Zoom links, and minutes for ACOA general sessions and work group meetings, subscribe to LegiStar and select the meetings you are interested in.
https://contra-costa.legistar.com/
You can apply for membership by serving as your local representative, a member-at-large, or to volunteer to serve on a work group (Health Work Group, Transportation Work Group, Elder Abuse Prevention Work Group, Legislative Advocacy Work Group, Housing Work Group, and Technology Work Group).
https://ehsd.org/elderly-disabled/advisory-council-on-aging/
925.655.0776
Contra Costa Senior Legal Services
Contra Costa Senior Legal Services Contra Costa Senior Legal Services (CCSLS) is a private, nonprofit agency that has been providing free legal services to older residents aged 60 or older in the County since 1976. Thousands of seniors have benefited from these services which have enabled them to stay in their homes, to become eligible for and to retain public benefits, to recover real and personal property wrongly taken from them, and to obtain relief from physical, financial, and emotional abuse. https://www.ccsls.org Cost: Free. Available only to Residents of Contra Costa County.
Master Plan on Aging
Master Plan for Aging Local Playbook
Recognizing that California’s over-65 population is projected to grow to 8.6 million by 2030, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling for the creation of Master Plan for Aging to be developed by October 1, 2020. The Master Plan will serve as a blueprint that can be used by state government, local communities, private organizations and philanthropy to build environments that promote an age-friendly California. https://choiceinaging.org/our-impact/master-plan-for-aging/ https://choiceinaging.org/our-impact/master-plan-for-aging/
California Senior Legislature
State of California An advocacy group that evaluates and proposes legislature relevant to older adults. The California State Legislature composed of an 80 member Assembly and a 40 member Senate https://4csl.org/ Cost: Free. Representatives are elected to represent their respective County. For more information, contact you county’s Area Agency on Aging.
Empowered Aging
A nonprofit offering a myriad of services for older adults including Elder Justice, Ombudsman programs, Friendly Phone Visits/Outreach and more. https://empoweredaging.org Cost: Free and fee-based. Available to all.
Justice in Aging
Justice in Aging from their website: Everyone deserves quality health care and sufficient resources to be able keep a roof over their heads, pay for food and medicine, and meet their other basic needs. But in America today that vision is out of reach for nearly half of older adults. Our approach to advocacy directly improves the lives of millions of older adults. We train thousands of individual advocates, providing information on emerging legal issues. Through our relationships with these on-the-ground partners, we learn about systemic issues and work to address them through legislative and administrative advocacy. justiceinaging.org Cost: Free. Available to Open to All. The organization operates nationwide
Case Management
Meals on Wheels Diablo Region – Seniors 60 years and older can receive case management services for help with issues such as elder abuse, mental health resources, housing, and more. https://www.mowdiabloregion.org https://www.mowdiabloregion.org/care-management Cost: Free. Available to All Contra Costa County residents
Bay Area Legal Aid
Get help with a myriad of legal matters. Pro bono services available for low income households.
legalaid.thecountyoffice.com
Volunteer and Get Involved
Volunteer
Volunteers are always welcome at nonprofit organizations. Use the following links to see how you can help:
- Choice in Aging
- Empowered Aging
- Meals on Wheels Diablo Region
Represent Elders
Your voice is needed! You can really help the older adults in your community by serving on Contra Costa County’s Advisory Council on Aging, either as a city representative or member-at-large. The Membership Workgroup of the ACOA meets on third Wednesday of each month at 12:30pm. For more information and application, please check the website.
Got a resource to share? Use this form to send us information for a resource (website, poster, etc. from a local non-profit or government agency).
Disclaimer: This website is meant to be a useful starting point and is not an endorsement for the services listed. The site is not affiliated with ACOA, EHSD, or any other organization.