Celebrating Aging in Sonoma County: A Master Plan for the Future

The Sonoma County Human Services Department (HSD) strives to support individuals, families, and communities’ health, safety, and well-being. Every day, their programs and services benefit more than 150,000 seniors, veterans, adults, teens, children, and people with disabilities. Through their Adult and Aging Division, HSD helps older adults and their caregivers access health and wellness benefits, in-home care programs, Medicare counseling, and other resources for seniors and people with disabilities.

• Formed and worked with a community-based MPA Steering Committee to design the Sonoma County MPA through a collaborative, multi-phased process.
• Conducted research and community engagement efforts, including stakeholder interviews, consumer surveys, review of locally based models, and data analysis to identify top needs and strategies for addressing the county’s growing aging population.
• Facilitated decision-making sessions that led to the development of a 10-year, countywide plan with 23 strategies within six goal ar
• Launched the Sonoma County MPA with the involvement of community organizations and an official adoption by the Board of Supervisors, ensuring commitment to its implementation.

The Sonoma County Human Services Department engaged Collaborative Consulting to facilitate the creation of a Sonoma County MPA that would prepare local communities for future demand while enhancing the health and well-being of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers.

Our goals for this project included:

• Develop a plan to advance an age-friendly future in Sonoma County informed by community perspectives and participation in the design process.
• Determine focus areas and actionable strategies to meet the County’s priorities.
• Gain support from community members, organizations, and the Board of Supervisors.
• Define the structure for implementing the MPA to clarify roles, expectations, and actions to achieve the MPA strategies.

From the outset, we knew that the success of this initiative would hinge on successful collaboration among a diverse group of stakeholders.

We worked closely with the Sonoma County Human Services Department to provide leadership and set the tone for an engaging process. To guide our work, we established a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee that brought together diverse voices across the county, including industry leaders, advocates, and residents. We also engaged the Aging Together Leadership Team for Sonoma County– already established as a trusted coalition of aging experts—to serve in an advisory role and offer insights anchored in years of local experience.

Drawing on our experience in stakeholder engagement and multi-sector collaboration, we worked closely with these groups to ensure the Sonoma County MPA was informed by robust research, community input, and promising practices from across the field of aging services.

The development of the Sonoma County MPA unfolded over five phases, each building on the last to ensure a thorough and thoughtful plan.

This high-level timeline summarizes the key phases, timelines, and deliverables resulting in the development of the Sonoma County MPA.

Our work began with Research and Discovery, where we wanted to understand the community’s needs and aspirations. Using a blend of qualitative and quantitative methods, we analyzed data from recent surveys and community assessments, interviewed 43 stakeholders representing service providers and advocates, and reviewed other local plans for aging to identify unique approaches. We also studied strategic reports and existing plans to ensure the MPA would align with ongoing efforts in Sonoma County. This phase provided a foundation of insights that shaped the rest of the process.

From there, we transitioned into Synthesis and Sensemaking. Working closely with the Aging Together Leadership Team and MPA Steering Committee, we distilled the findings into key themes and potential strategies. This phase was analytical and collaborative, as we worked together to identify the most pressing needs and actionable opportunities. The result was a draft priorities framework that reflected a shared understanding of Sonoma County’s challenges and possibilities.

The third phase, Decision-Making, focused on and clarified the strategies that would define the MPA. We facilitated working sessions with stakeholders to evaluate and refine the proposed strategy. We guided discussions around the potential impact of each proposed initiative, its ability to reach underserved populations, and the resources and readiness required for implementation. By the end of this phase, we had a clear set of priorities that enjoyed broad support among participants.

Finally, we moved into Creating and Delivering the Plan, translating months of collaboration into a cohesive and actionable document. We presented an initial draft to the Steering Committee, incorporated their feedback, and delivered the final MPA to the county’s Board of Supervisors, marking the culmination of an intensive 16-month process.