The Maryland General Assembly has approved a new long-term strategy aimed at helping the state prepare for a growing older adult population.
Through the Longevity Ready Maryland Act and the newly established Aging Resilience Fund, the state is creating a framework to better coordinate services and investments that support residents as they age.
In an article from WYPR, state leaders estimate that by 2030, one in four Marylanders will be age 60 or older. In response, the Longevity Ready Maryland plan focuses on helping the state adapt to longer life expectancy through improvements in healthcare, housing, workforce opportunities, mobility, and financial preparedness.
The initiative began with an executive order from Governor Wes Moore in 2024 and was formally launched in 2025. This year’s legislation places the plan into state law, making Maryland one of the first states in the country to codify a comprehensive longevity strategy.
The plan emphasizes cross-agency collaboration, recognizing that many services impacting older adults are delivered through multiple state and local partners, including the Departments of Health, Housing and Community Development, and Labor.
From the article:
“The goal is to work with them to get things done,” she said. “What are the things that we can do cross-agency to assist those people as they come through, needing benefits, services, etc. So at the state level, we’re working, but at the actual delivery-of-service level, that happens in the local counties and municipalities.”
Local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) that serve Maryland’s older and disabled citizens at the county level successfully offered an amendment to improve the implementation at the local level.
Area Agencies on Aging serve as the backbone of Maryland’s aging services network and bring deep, locally-based expertise informed by community needs, local data, and lived experience. Embedding local planning efforts within the state framework will ensure alignment across systems, promote efficiency, and enhance outcomes for older adults and family caregivers throughout Maryland.
Current efforts under the plan include partnerships focused on dementia care resources, addressing senior homelessness, expanding workforce pathways for older adults, and supporting the caregiving sector amid ongoing workforce shortages.
Starting October 1, the Department of Aging will provide annual progress reports and policy recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly. Additionally, the new Aging Resilience Fund will allow the Department of Aging to retain and manage funding for programming and philanthropic initiatives without concerns about funds expiring at the end of the fiscal year.
