Age-Friendly Maryland

From plan, to policy, to action!

On July 28, 2026, State and local government leaders, legislators, universities, health systems, nonprofits, and other distinguished partners convened to announce the designation of Maryland as an Age-Friendly state. With the LRM Act passed into law and taking effect October 1, this designation marks a key milestone to build awareness and activate a multisector approach to planning for healthy long lives at all levels.

“By bringing this Age-Friendly approach into our Longevity Ready Maryland plan, we are getting local leaders on the same page and building a state where your zip code never limits your ability to live a long, healthy, and dignified life.”

~ Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller

What is an Age-Friendly Community?

AARP’s Age-Friendly communities model is built around the World Health Organization’s eight interconnected domains that make the state more livable for people of all ages. It aligns with LRM’s mandate for strengthening partnerships across sectors, and provides a blueprint for local governments, organizations, and residents to drive community-level action in practical ways, including:

• Helping local leaders identify and understand community needs
• Providing an organized structure for making community improvements
• Fostering partnerships among community groups, local governments, and other stakeholders

Maryland’s Age-Friendly State designation relied on the hundreds of Marylanders who participated in the process of creating, reviewing, and approving the LRM Plan. Marylanders have been leaders in Age-Friendly work for more than a decade: Montgomery County is in its 11th year as an Age-Friendly Community; Age-Friendly Howard County launched statewide age-friendly communities convenings last year; Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center is one of only five Age-Friendly Health System Pioneers; and the University of Maryland’s Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging is championing the Age-Friendly Pharmacy model.

As it currently stands, Maryland’s Age-Friendly ecosystem includes eight communities, three universities, 33 health care providers and 79 employers working to apply these principles in places where Marylanders live, work, learn, and receive care. With a goal to grow the state’s Age-Friendly footprint even further, we are inviting local governments, institutions, health care providers, and businesses to adopt Age-Friendly practices in the work you are already doing, and share the community benefits that come with the “Age-Friendly” designation with others.

Ways to Join Maryland’s Age-Friendly Ecosystem

• Age-Friendly Communities: The AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities supports the work of local, regional, and state governments that have made a commitment to being more livable for people of all ages. By equipping local leaders with resources for assessing needs, improving access to services, and increasing opportunities for participation, AARP helps communities develop an action plan that benefits all residents.
• Age-Friendly Universities: The Age-Friendly University Global Network is a consortium of higher education institutions committed to promoting healthy aging and enhancing the lives of older members of the global community through innovative educational programs, research agendas, curriculum development, online education, health and wellness activities, arts and culture programs, and civic engagement opportunities.
• Age-Friendly Health Systems: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement offers evidenced-based guidance and resources on ways care teams can implement the “4Ms” best-practices in caring for older adults. Resources are available for hospitals, ambulatory service providers, nursing home care providers, emergency departments, surgery staff, convenient care clinics, home health providers, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers.
• Age-Friendly Public Health Systems: Trust for America’s Health created the AFPHS Recognition Program based on the 6Cs Framework for creating Age-Friendly Public Health Systems with corresponding actions that, if achieved, will reflect a health department’s commitment to supporting and improving the health and well-being of older adults and their caregivers.
• Age-Friendly Employers: The AARP Employer Alliance helps organizations build workplaces where employees of all ages thrive and work together to drive engagement, productivity, and innovation. Members can access Employer Resources, share proven practices, tackle challenges, and unlock the power of multigenerational teams.
• Age Friendly Pharmacist: The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists is fostering the inclusion of pharmacy into the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement through resources and education. Enroll in the Age-Friendly Pharmacist™ Badge Program.

For more information on Age-Friendly Maryland, visit LRM.Maryland.gov/agefriendly. If you are already a part of Maryland’s Age-Friendly Ecosystem, we want to hear from you! Please submit your story about local age-friendly initiatives here.