Reach: Maryland Milestones in Longer Living

March 2025: The Public is Invited to Review LRM and Provide Feedback

Maryland’s Multisector Plan for Aging Hits the Road for Public Review

In a process that began when Secretary Roques was appointed to lead the Maryland Department of Aging (MDOA) in early 2023, Longevity Ready Maryland (LRM) has hit a critical milestone in its development. The state’s multisector plan for aging is available for public review between March 15 and April 21, 2025, providing the opportunity for Marylanders to offer feedback before it’s finalized in July 2025. It also provides MDOA with the opportunity to promote the benefits of LRM and encourage participation in its success.

The first LRM Town Hall was at Salisbury University on March 18 and had 78 attendees. The next in-person Town Hall will be in Allegany County on March 25th, followed by Baltimore City Town Hall on April 8th. Two virtual Town Halls are scheduled for April 3rd and 14th.

Four good reasons why every Maryland resident should get excited about LRM:

1. LRM benefits all Maryland residents.

Aging is not an isolated experience, but a continuous process that is influenced by many social, health, and economic factors. By shifting away from programs and services that separate aging into a specific time of life, we remove traditional barriers that limit how far we can advance the aging experience for all Maryland residents. While LRM prepares all of us for the long-term benefits of aging well, it offers very real benefits for every Maryland resident across the lifespan.

2. LRM isn't limited to aging and health services.

How well we age is impacted by how well we eat, learn, work, save, and connect with peers, family, and professionals across all sectors and stages of life. Different service providers at different levels of government and community jurisdictions each have their own contributions that impact the aging process in some way. Coordinating these services is essential to any multisector plan. Participation from transportation, housing, health, community planning, workforce development, innovation and technology sectors is essential for developing inclusive infrastructure that supports aging in place.

3. LRM supports the work of all service providers.

The extensive research that went into defining LRM’s eight priority areas revealed some very real opportunities for working together in ways we hadn’t before. Smarter-not-harder systems of coordinated care are not only essential in reducing costs and improving the lives of all Maryland residents, they are achievable within our ten-year time frame. By consolidating resources and coordinating program and policy development within and across sectors, we can build more sustainable models of care to support more Maryland communities.

4. LRM is necessary.

Maryland is at a demographic crossroads. Longer lives and declining birth rates require a significant shift in how our current systems will need to function as the number of older adults continues to expand. More Maryland residents are living, working, learning, and contributing later in life. Many will need access to care services, accessible housing, and supports as they age, while fewer younger adults will be available to fill the service pipeline. As the new reality of an older society approaches across all American communities, we have both challenges and opportunities to prepare for. LRM will take Maryland beyond outdated approaches to aging and better address the emerging needs that 21st-century communities are facing.