It’s Time to Prepare
With seniors expected to account for the majority of Florida’s predicted population growth between now and 2030 and the increasing rate in the number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, it is vitally important our state develops and reinforces a system with a quality continuum of long term health care for aging Floridians. This must include resources to handle that inevitable growth of the elder population, including access to geriatric specialists, home-based assistance, rehabilitation services, assisted living and skilled nursing center care (often referred to as nursing homes), hospice care and community-wide supports.
The Coalition for Silver Solutions (Coalition) is an initiative of AARP, Florida Association of Aging Services Providers, Florida Health Care Association, LeadingAge Florida and 1199SEIU (Service Employees International Union). These long-term care sector, labor and consumer groups are working together to develop short- and long-term strategies for meeting the long-term health care needs of Florida’s aging population in 2020 and beyond.
The Coalition is committed to advocating in 2020 for efficiencies in the current long-term care system and for enough funding for both home-based and long-term care. The Coalition has been gathering input from Floridians across the state, sharing and collecting information with representatives of Florida’s long-term care providers and managed-care insurers to support these comprehensive and shared solutions before presenting these recommendations to the 2020 Legislature.
We are also working to formulate long-term strategies that will guide Florida in managing the unique and increasing challenges of the state’s large and growing population of seniors. Those strategies will focus on making wise use of public resources while equipping older Floridians and their families to live healthy and independent lives as long as possible and to find high-quality care when and where they need it.

Silver Wave Challenges
- Current wait list process for home and community-based care
- Rise of two-career families/caregiver stress
- Reimbursement rates for long-term care are insufficient to cover costs
- Nursing shortage
- Need for specialized staff to meet residents’ higher acuity care needs