Prince George's County review of aging services spotlights dementia, nutrition and home‑care gaps

Prince George's County leaders and residents heard an overview of the county Department of Family Services' Aging and Disability Services division at a March 2025 meeting of the Holistic and Sustainable Solutions senior citizens task force. Director Elena Balon Butler outlined the division's programs, funding sources and the findings of a countywide needs assessment conducted with George Washington University.

Butler said the county's population is “just shy of 950,000” and that residents age 60 and older total about 215,160, with the fastest‑growing cohort those 85 and older. She described the division as the county's Area Agency on Aging and said it is primarily grant‑funded: about $9.3 million in grants and roughly $1.9 million (16.93%) in county general funds. Butler also provided program figures for fiscal 2024, including nearly 280,000 home‑delivered meals and 32,338 calls to Maryland Access Point (MAP), the county's disability resource line.

The needs assessment carried out by George Washington University used more than 20 focus groups, an electronic resident survey and neighborhood canvassing; the final report was described as in draft form and under revision. Butler summarized findings she said were reported to GW: gaps in access to mental health, dental and specialty services (including hearing care); caregiver strain and limited respite services; difficulties with health insurance navigation; limited skilled home health and hospice availability; a perceived lack of early detection and education for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias; social isolation and mental‑health concerns among seniors; food insecurity and limited home‑delivered meal capacity; transportation reliability and service‑area limits; and neighborhood maintenance and safety issues.

Butler highlighted several initiatives and funding sources intended to address some needs. She said the division received a nearly $800,000, three‑year federal “dementia capable” grant from the Administration for Community Living to deliver an evidence‑based caregiver workshop (Powerful Tools for Caregivers) and to hire a project coordinator. She also described a state grant from the Maryland Department of Aging to fund dementia navigation services that screen callers and connect caregivers to resources. The division maintains programs including a long‑term care ombudsman, congregate and home‑delivered nutrition, senior training and employment (CSAP), State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counseling, and a disability apprenticeship program for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Task force members and residents pressed for more budget detail and follow‑up information. Chair Sydney Harrison asked whether fiscal 2026 grants had been secured; Butler said fiscal 2026 awards had not yet been received. Harrison requested a breakdown of current funding devoted to the needs GW identified. Resident Jacqueline Grazette, who said she had circulated the resource guide among seniors before the meeting, said many seniors do not know the guide exists: “I don't think the average senior even knows half the things in there,” she said. Butler said the Senior Resource Guide has been translated into Spanish, distributed to faith‑based partners and made available at events, and she offered to provide additional copies on request.

On service delivery, Butler described converting MAP's phone line to a call‑center model to route incoming calls to multiple options counselors; she said supervisors track call data and use it to adjust staffing. The division also maintains a small, limited initiative for in‑home maintenance assistance — snow removal and lawn care — but Butler said that program has very limited funding and saw a decrease in fiscal 2026 budget proposals.

The task force identified next steps and follow‑ups: Butler agreed to provide the task force with a more detailed funding breakdown for the division's grant and general‑fund allocations, to share the draft GW needs‑assessment report when finalized, to provide the MAP call‑center phone number and tracking summaries, and to designate staff to follow up with residents requesting resource guides. Chair Harrison said the board of realtors should attend the next meeting to discuss housing and aging‑in‑place issues. The task force scheduled its next meeting for April 9, 2025.

The presentation and Q&A did not include formal votes related to program changes; members and staff discussed information requests and next steps for the task force's work plan.