Bridge to Recovery for Adult Day Services: COVID-19 Mitigation and Resilience Grant Program to Combat Senior Isolation.

Existing law requires the California Department of Aging, among other things, to administer the Mello-Grandlund Older Californians Act that established various programs that service older individuals, including aging information and educational programs. Under existing law, the department's mission is to provide leadership to the area agencies on aging in developing systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments. This bill would create, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Bridge to Recovery for Adult Day Services: COVID-19 Mitigation and Resilience Grant Program to Combat Senior Isolation to improve the health, safety, and well-being of vulnerable at-risk older adults and people with disabilities through safe access to vital services in adult day health care and adult day program settings. The bill would require the department to administer the grant program and award grants for qualified entities for infection prevention and control and to address workforce shortages, as specified. The bill would specify that the program would be operative for 2 years from an appropriation and would require the department to post on its internet website when the 2 years have passed.