Prepare Marylanders to Afford Longevity

As we prepare for longer lives, Maryland communities must plan ahead to secure the financial stability of a growing number of older residents. Removing systematic barriers to key programs and services will help Marylanders save money and increase generational wealth while improving local economies.

Track Progress

Objective 1: Improve access to affordable, accessible housing options that support aging in place.

Strategies

  • Through partnerships between the public and private sectors, invest in a variety of affordable housing developments, programs, and initiatives that are accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
  • Improve access to housing options and resources by strengthening and expanding housing navigator networks.
  • Commit funding to support a statewide initiative that prevents homelessness among older adults and provides housing supports for older adults who are homeless.
  • Expand aging-in-place options by providing wraparound services that include health care, transportation, and social services in coordination with Area Agencies on Aging, Centers for Independent Living, Villages, and other community-based aging service providers.
  • Increase access to home repair and modification programs that ensure safe and accessible home environments, such as HUBS, BCAUSE, CAPABLE, and Accessible Homes for Seniors.
  • Increase access to any applicable state tax credits for income-limited households by lowering income thresholds, increasing property value limitations, and simplifying applications.
  • Incentivize multigenerational living and expand access to intergenerational co-housing programs that match Marylanders to share housing costs.

Outcomes

Short Term (1-3 Years)
  • Expand the CAPABLE aging-in-place home modification pilot
  • Convene state agencies on health, disabilities, housing, and aging to improve integration of services
Mid Term (4-6 Years)
  • Commit funding to address older adult homelessness
  • Increase access to affordable housing resources through enhanced navigators, integrated services, and tax credits
Long Term (7-10 Years)
  • Increase the number of older adults enrolled in affordable housing programs

Objective 2: Assist Marylanders with long-term financial planning.

Strategies

  • Provide age-appropriate financial literacy outreach to educate Marylanders across the lifespan about saving for the future.
  • Increase awareness of and access to free financial planning resources that provide trusted and impartial information about savings and investment options.
  • Provide targeted education to allow for financial stability through life transitions to assist in planning for a reduced income and access to available benefits.
  • Provide outreach and education to inform older adults about ways to protect their savings from financial fraud and preserve generational wealth.
  • Evaluate social and financial factors that impact the interest and ability of Marylanders to remain in the state as they transition away from full-time employment.
  • Explore policies that provide support for people facing growing or unplanned long-term care costs, medical debt, tax burdens, housing costs, and other unforeseen expenses.

Outcomes

Short Term (1-3 Years)
  • Develop partnerships with organizations and institutions providing age-appropriate financial planning resources
  • Map trusted and impartial financial planning resources
Mid Term (4-6 Years)
  • Promote financial literacy education
Long Term (7-10 Years)
  • Improve services that align with financial planning opportunities
  • Identify long-term care insurance accessibility opportunities

Objective 3: Streamline access to public benefits and services.

Strategies

  • Review and modernize state- and Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports to increase the number of people served, improve equitable service delivery statewide, and reduce administrative burden on providers.
  • Improve referral pathways between acute care providers, Medicaid home- and community-based services, and aging network services to create a more streamlined continuum of home- and community-based supports.
  • Incorporate programs targeting Marylanders across the lifespan, including older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers into the universal eligibility benefits application.
  • Increase awareness and utilization of programs and resources to save for health care costs and increase self-determination, including Medicare Savings Plans, Health Savings Accounts, Advance Directives, end-of-life care, and others.
  • Explore ways artificial intelligence can be leveraged to improve access to public benefits and programs.
  • Increase access to prevention, screening and supportive services for people experiencing symptoms of dementia and their caregivers.
  • Increase utilization of veteran benefits and resources while reducing disparities in access to benefits across hard-to-reach populations within the veteran community.
  • Increase awareness of Social Security survivor benefits for non-married same-sex couples.

Outcomes

Short Term (1-3 Years)
  • Redesign state-funded pre-Medicaid long-term services and supports programming with AAAs
  • Identify sustainable strategies to expand referrals between acute care and community-based providers
Mid Term (4-6 Years)
  • Increase awareness of programs, benefits, and services that support healthy aging and help older adults save money
Long Term (7-10 Years)
  • Improve coordination of aging network services with state- and Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services
  • Improve coordination between systems of long-term care to increase access to home- and community-based services

Potential measures of impact:

  • Increase use of outreach and education programs that address financial literacy
  • Increase the number of Marylanders saving for later life
  • Increase assistance with accessing housing and aging-in-place services
  • Expand reach and coordination of Maryland Access Point