Upcoming Speaker

Julie Chatman

Seminar Title: Aging at Home with Dignity

Presentation Date: 11/20/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: This presentation explores strategies and support programs for helping California’s aging population live safely at home with autonomy and dignity. It outlines available care options—such as Medi-Cal waivers, IHSS, and VA benefits—while highlighting financial, eligibility, and supply barriers. Additionally, it provides a practical framework for interdisciplinary care planning, addressing unmet needs, and navigating legal regulations.

Speaker Bio: Julie Ann “Jewels” Chatman, MSW, is a bilingual social welfare professional, advocate, and program developer whose work centers on expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and helping people access the support they need. As the founder of A Better Place Services and Resources and a non-attorney representative for Social Security, she helps individuals and families navigate complex systems and pursue meaningful solutions. Julie brings experience in hospice social work, public benefits advocacy, community education, program development, and public policy. Her work has included advocating for student parents at the University of California, Berkeley; researching the impact of California budget decisions on working and low-income families; and collaborating with government and community partners to develop programs for children and families. Julie’s commitment to service was inspired by her mother and role model, Gabrielle Nancy David, a teacher and vocational rehabilitation counselor for the State of California who worked with children and adults with disabilities. Gabrielle overcame many challenges and, as a single parent, earned her degrees while raising Julie. Her strength, persistence, compassion, and dedication to helping others continue to inspire her daughter’s work. Known for her own persistence, resourcefulness, and willingness to speak up, Julie approaches challenges with compassion and a determination to turn unmet needs into action. She believes every person deserves a voice in decisions about their life and a real opportunity to receive the care and support they need. Julie earned her bachelor’s degree in social welfare with honors and her Master of Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. Her advocacy for student parents and families has been recognized with an individual community service award.

Seminar Objectives:

• Identify home-based healthcare and supportive service options for older adults in California, including home health, palliative care, IHSS, CalAIM, and VA programs.
• Evaluate financial and regulatory barriers to care, including income and asset limits, upcoming Medi-Cal asset threshold changes, and spousal impoverishment rules.
• Differentiate between approved benefit eligibility and the actual availability, affordability, and delivery of home-care services.
• Apply the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms framework (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility) to optimize home care planning.
• Address ethical, privacy, and legal considerations in home care planning, including autonomy preservation, legal estate recovery rules, and surviving spouse protections.
• Develop collaborative, interdisciplinary strategies to document unmet care needs, build realistic backup plans, and improve care access for aging individuals.