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Bedord Senior Housing PPT May 12 2020 (002)Cupertino Planning Commission May 12, 2020 Slide 1 Thank you Madame Chairperson, Commissioners and Staff My name is Jean Bedord, and I’ve lived in Cupertino for 30 years. I am President of the Cupertino Senior Center Advisory Council, but tonight I am speaking as a citizen member of the Age Friendly Cupertino Task Force. Slide 2 Our community is in transition. Parents with children under the age of 18 are now a minority in our city. Instead nearly 1 in 3 households have at least one person over the age of 60. Their needs are different, and our community has not recognized the changes that need to be made for today’s population. Increasingly, older adults face the reality that the family home where they raised their children no longer suits their physical needs. Walkers and wheelchairs don’t go up stairs. Caregiving is a reality for many of us – whether a spouse or an aging parent or a disabled child. Life happens when least expected. Many older adults are actively looking for housing that better suits their needs, but where do they move to? They want to stay in their community with the friends they’ve known for the past 20, 30, 40 or even 50+ years. They also want to keep their same trusted medical providers. Slide 3 There aren’t many choices to make a housing change in Cupertino. My mother- in-law lived at Chateau Cupertino. Independent living was a good choice for her, though we did have to hire a caregiver to come in every morning for 15 minutes to make sure she took her pills and was dressed for breakfast. But then she fell and broke her wrist. Suddenly, I had 48 hours to find an assisted living facility for her since she could no longer be accommodated at Chateau Cupertino. Nothing in Cupertino! Eventually, she had to move to skilled nursing. Again, nothing in Cupertino. My husband has mobility issues so we are actively looking for housing that doesn’t require a car to go for coffee or meet friends for lunch. But isn’t any available housing that meets those needs. Most senior housing in Cupertino is in CCRCs – Continuing Care Retirement Communities, which are relatively isolated and require buy in. Isn’t it time to build housing to meet the needs of our older adult community? Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Any questions? Senior Dilemma: Where to live? — My comments today are solely in my role as a citizen member of the Age Friendly Cupertino Task Force. They do not necessarily reflect the position of other organizations of which I am a member. Jean Bedord * Age Friendly Task Force Our Older Adult Community — Total households in Cupertino: 20,181 — Households with one or more persons 60+: 6,585 — Typical older family unit: 1-2 adults — Decline in school enrollments — Family home no longer meets physical needs — Caregiving for spouse, parent or child — Requirements to change housing — Remain in community with friends and family — Close to current medical providers Current Situation — Senior Housing Available in Cupertino — Chateau Cupertino – 80 units rental – independent living with meals — Sunnyview Manor – 167 units, CCRC full range from independent living to skilled nursing — The Forum at Rancho San Antonio - 319 units, CCRC full range — Veranda – 19 units, BMR independent living for very low income seniors — Extremely limited options — 237 Total single family homes sold in Cupertino in 2019 ( 1-2% turnover) — ZERO Multifamily developments approved in 2019 Major shortage of Senior Living housing Thank you — Questions?