Carissa Kelly, director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities, told the County Council on May 15 that the department served more than 17,000 people in FY25 and delivered 558,000 units of service with an almost $12,000,000 budget.

Kelly said the department’s work included two new geriatric behavioral‑health initiatives launched with Administration for Community Living ARP and state grants, expansion of senior activity centers to eight locations, and eviction prevention through utility and rental assistance. “Our departmental motto is making life better,” she said.

The presentation noted program specifics: the department used ARP funds to help older adults avoid utility shutoffs and evictions and expended $222,000 on that initiative; senior activity centers added about 3,600 members this past year; and the new behavioral‑health programs have served 192 people with individual and group therapy. Kelly said the department obtained an NPI billing number and included a clinical position in the proposed budget so it can bill Medicaid and “offset the general fund impact” in future years.

Councilmembers asked about caregiver grants and provider rate increases. In response to a question from Councilmember Fiedler about the annual caregivers grant, Kelly said the federal Older Americans Act reauthorization had stalled in the House but Title 3E funding processes were underway and “those caregiver grants will be put out to the public immediately” once awards are executed. On rising home‑care rates, Kelly explained that contracted chore and personal‑care services (direct support professionals) have seen national wage increases since the pandemic, pushing typical rates from about $18–$20 an hour a few years ago to $23–$25 an hour now.

Kelly also thanked the council for support of the Arnold Senior Activity Center renovation, which is in design and expected to begin construction in early FY26. She said the department continues to prioritize nutrition, transportation, affordable senior housing and geriatric mental health access in the next budget cycle.

The council did not take a vote; the session was a budget presentation and question period.