Choice in Aging Blog

Celebrating 24 Amazing Years at Choice in Aging!

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:00:21 GMT

Forgive my indulgence, but I wanted to take a few minutes of your life and share 24 years of mine. 24 years ago today, I started my job as Program Director of Mt. Diablo Center, and my life was forever changed in the most precious way. I found my way back to my elders — my grandparents — my people.

Some folks know my story, though I am not sure many do. When I was 17 years old, I had the incredible fortune of being hired as a server at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home, where I gained 82 grandparents. They lived in the independent housing in this sprawling gorgeous continuing care and hospital community. They had the best of the best: cloth napkins, steak of the day, fish of the day, salad bar with kale garnish (those were the days, when we didn’t have to eat kale, just decorate with it!), three main entrees, or made-to-order meals. It was an idyllic setting with all of the amenities… for those living in the independent housing…

One night, we ran out of mashed potatoes, and I was sent to the hospital kitchen to get another half pan. I made the detour to go through the skilled nursing wing, which I had never done before. In the span of about five seconds, my life forever changed. I opened the door to a stench I did not know — of stale urine — and a woman in a wheelchair screaming while three women in scrubs played cards not 15 feet away, completely unphased — like that woman in severe distress did not exist. This is an impression that will never leave me. Our elders, when becoming dependent, also become invisible and discardable.

I got the potatoes, finished my shift, and eventually went on to college at UC Irvine. On weekends, I came home to work at the Country House dining room so I could stay connected to my 82 grandparents.

That indulgence ended when I moved to Hungary to study abroad, and life took me in all kinds of different directions. I ended up in Northern California working in financial services when 9/11 happened. It leveled me. Watching people jumping out of the tower was haunting me in ways I never knew possible, and I kept putting myself in their shoes. After days of this experience, I took it to the next step and asked myself, If that was me, and my life was flashing before my eyes, would I like me… and where I had come… and what I was doing with this life that is so fragile? And my answer was: I like me, I think I am a good human, but I am not doing what I need to be doing. I need to be working with my grandparents again. And when I was able to come out of the dark cloud, I immediately went in search of an opportunity to have grandparents again!

I found the Mt. Diablo Center (MDC) Program Director job listed on Craigslist — mind you these were not the days of Google, and Encyclopedia Britannica didn’t have a definition for Adult Day Health Care. I mean, who on earth knows what that is? So I went to this job interview for a program I did not know, but it was working with seniors, and that is what I wanted. That fateful day in April of 2002, I arrived at 490 Golf Club Road and was greeted by Linda Hughes, the Executive Director of MDC. She asked me if I knew what Adult Day Health Care was. I said no. She said it is a program with two goals: to provide respite for caregivers and to prevent the institutionalization of our elders. At that moment, those five seconds of the one experience I had with skilled nursing flooded me, and I said to her in no uncertain terms, “You are going to hire me.”

And she did. And I am sure there were many times she questioned her decision, though I think at this point she is probably resting easier about it. In fact, my degree did not qualify me to be in that position, but given my seven years of experience working with the population, she was able to submit a flexibility request to the CA Department of Public Health and get it approved.

That was 24 years ago today. I was single. I had no children. I had dark hair. Today, I am married, raised three children into adulthood, have a full head of silver hair, and wake up every morning knowing my heart is in the same place I go each day to work.

We grew MDC; we added transportation; we developed our advocacy muscle; we added complex case management; we added transitions out of skilled nursing facilities; we added an intergenerational preschool; we expanded to three more counties; we added mental health case management and clinical care; and today, we are embarking on an Aging in Place Campus that will serve as a replicable model to finally break the institutionally biased poverty pipeline that is our current de facto long-term care system.

None of the above would be possible without YOU! Without our supporters who show up to volunteer on our Board, our Advisory Board, fundraising planning committees, in programs and so much more. YOU, who write checks, show up at events, talk to others about our work — YOU make Choice in Aging possible. You allow us to continue the work because we know others believe as we do, that EVERYONE should have the opportunity to learn, grow, and age independently with dignity in community.

Thank you for making my soul work a daily dream!

Elders are Not Expendable

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 12:46:04 GMT

We are not even two weeks into a global pandemic and many in the President’s Administration and people around the country are ready to abandon our vulnerable elders to save our economy.

This is a false choice.

I oversee the administration of services that allow our oldest and frailest adults to age independently with dignity. For more than 70 years, Choice in Aging has been fighting ageism and embracing the joy and enrichment that seniors bring to our community. For this very reason, we opened an intergenerational Montessori preschool that provides periodic skills-appropriate activities to do alongside older adults; teaching our youngest that aging is not something to be feared.

As our population ages rapidly, we are at an exciting and unknown juncture: how will we break down generational barriers and allow more people to age independently, in their own homes, while retaining a sense of community?

Instead, today, we are now faced with the horror that our elderly and vulnerable are expendable. This is not who we are. We do not leave our most vulnerable alone to face catastrophe. This idea that someone who is old has served his or her useful purpose and is now a burden to our economy – to this I say, “Oh, hell, no!”

My greatest life lesson came from a 92 year-old man when I was 17 years-old, working at the Motion Picture and TV Fund Retirement Community. He told me in his life, he learned to never regret anything. It took me years, but I finally learned it meant learning from my mistakes. That has guided me my whole adult life. And we have an opportunity to not make a mistake now.

Already, we are seeing the positive effects of sheltering in place in the Bay Area and in California; in just one week we are flattening the curve, suppressing and containing COVID-19. We are leading the country in how not to overwhelm hospitals with sick Americans of every age, not just the elderly and health-compromised.

Sheltering in place is unsettling. Many in our communities are suffering economically. This is truly a frightening time and how we respond to this crisis says everything about who we are as individuals, as a community, as a nation.

Our economy will recover, just like those stricken by COVID-19 will be given a chance to recover if we do the right thing now and stop the spread of the virus. Hospitals overwhelmed with dying people will not restore our economy.

Self-determination defines Americans. So does our social compact. It’s time to step outside ourselves and do what is right. Please, allow us to get ahead of COVID-19 and ensure it is contained before we loosen the controls in place. Please, stay home.

We should all have the privilege of growing old. How we face this crisis will have far-reaching implications for our elderly today and for how you are treated should you be given the privilege of growing old.

Debbie Toth is President and CEO of Choice in Aging and Choice in Learning, based in Pleasant Hill, CA. She was recently appointed by California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly to the California Masterplan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee. The Committee is creating a blueprint for building an age-friendly environment in California.

Debbie Toth Appointed to Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 21:07:51 GMT

President & CEO Debbie Toth of Choice in Aging (CiA) was appointed to the prestigious inaugural Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee by Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly of California Health and Human Services. The committee is comprised of 30 leaders in California from Health Care, Foundations, Academia, and more. They will be tasked with coming together and informing the development of a master plan to make California an age friendly state. The diverse Committee will formulate best practices to guide the work of state government, local communities, private organizations, and philanthropy to build environments that promote healthy aging. “The thought of having a seat at the table with the leaders in our industry that will drive the policy of how we age has been a dream of mine, since I started working in senior care in high school,” enthused Toth, “I am very humbled and grateful to Secretary Ghaly and Governor Gavin Newsom for affording me this amazing opportunity.”

For over 70 years CiA has been serving the frailest members of the community, and fighting for their rights. The historic demographic challenges and changes that California is facing have not been adequately addressed. California has the largest and most diverse aging population in the country, and it is estimated that by 2030 one in five Californians will be 65 or older. This committee serves to prepare the state with a plan. “This is our time to come together to build an age-friendly California”, said Dr. Ghaly. “Government cannot do this alone — I challenge all Californians to join us in building a California Dream that is inclusive of our older and disabled neighbors.”

Choice in Aging Named a California Nonprofit of the Year

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 23:25:35 GMT

Choice in Aging (CiA) is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2019 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Tim Grayson. CiA President & CEO Debbie Toth joined the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), Assemblymembers and State Senators along with 100 other nonprofits on June 5th at a luncheon at the Capitol in Sacramento. “With so many incredible nonprofits serving our community, we are honored to have been selected for this recognition. Older adults are often overlooked in our society, and we so appreciate Assemblymember Tim Grayson honoring them through selecting Choice in Aging,” stated Toth.

Since 1949, CiA has been removing barriers to independence for the frail and people with disabilities, while supporting their hero caregivers and families. CiA has adult day health programs that provide complex case management, nursing, physical, speech, art, music and horticulture therapies, social work and a healthy meal, and most importantly a sense of community all disguised as fun, while giving their caregivers and their families much needed respite. In 2017 CiA opened Choice in Learning Montessori Preschool, bringing intergenerational programming and education together for the first time to Pleasant Hill.

“Nonprofits are often hidden in plain sight,” explains Jan Masoaka, CEO of CalNonprofits. “California Nonprofits Day is an opportunity for our elected official to celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.” There are 72,000 nonprofits in California, providing one in every 14 jobs. California nonprofits generate over $200 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 450,000 full-time jobs every year. CiA is proud to have provided 70 years of nonprofit community service and look forward to 70 more.

Happy Older Americans Month!

Mon, 06 May 2019 15:06:47 GMT

Each year in May, we celebrate Older Americans Month. For 2019, the theme is Connect, Create, Contribute, which encourages older adults and their communities to:

» Connect with friends, family, and services that support participation.

» Create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health, and personal enrichment.

» Contribute time, talent, and life experience to benefit others.

Communities that encourage the contributions of older adults are stronger! By engaging and supporting all community members, we recognize that older adults play a key role in the vitality of our neighborhoods, networks, and lives.

Older Americans Month 2019 will include suggestions, resources, and material to celebrate older Americans and the communities of which they are a vital part. You can promote the observance of Older Americans Month on social media using #OAM19 and #ConnectCreateContribute.

Everyone benefits when everyone can participate. We encourage you to connect, create, and contribute for stronger and more diverse communities this May, and throughout the year.

Debbie Toth Recieves 2018 Contra Costa Chair of the Board Award

Sat, 22 Dec 2018 00:54:38 GMT

We are so proud to announce that our fearless leader, Debbie Toth, was presented with the Contra Costa Chair of the Board Award! Debbie was awarded on Tuesday, December 18th by Karen Mitchoff, Chair, Board of Supervisors, District IV.

The award exemplifies the very best in public service and dedication to the County’s mission, vision, and values.

In attendance, were over 15 of Debbie’s closest supporters, including Choice in Aging Board Chair Stephen D. Conlin, Board Member Sheryl Rowold, Choice in Aging employees, colleagues from other agencies, and Pleasant Hill City Council Member, Sue Noack.

To learn more about the award and Debbie’s work for our aging community, you can read the full article by East County Today .

Thank you to Mark Lampkin for the photo.