Maryland aging chief outlines 'Longevity Ready Maryland' plan and asks Eastern Shore legislators for partnership

Carmel Roque, Maryland secretary of aging, presented the Longevity Ready Maryland (LRM) plan to the Eastern Shore delegation on Feb. 13, framing it as a statewide, data-driven strategy to prepare for a rapidly aging population.

"We want all Marylanders, but we want older Marylanders in particular to be able to live their full life course, which we now know can go up to 100 years," Roque said, explaining the plan centers on health, financial security, community connection and mobility. She said the plan contains 78 specific recommendations and pairs a federally required four-year state plan with a new 10-year multisector strategy the governor signed in July.

Roque described four high-level goals: build a longevity ecosystem; promote economic opportunity (including caregiver supports and workforce programs); ensure affordability across the life course; and optimize health, wellness and mobility. Initiatives cited for 2026 include strengthening the Maryland Access Point (MAP) no-wrong-door system, launching respite care ambassadors in Shore communities, promoting the Johns Hopkins memory-care family checklist and developing philanthropic partnerships. She said the administration wants to codify the plan so Maryland "will always have a multisector plan" and to require a public dashboard and annual reporting.

Delegates asked how older residents — particularly in rural Eastern Shore counties — can access benefits and services. "They're, they're, they're literally starving. Their heat's being turned off and all these items," said Dylan Darrence, pressing the department on coordination with social services. Roque pointed to MAP and local area agencies on aging as the primary entry points and said callers will get a human specialist and, where needed, warm handoffs to other agencies. She also said the department obtained a federal grant to strengthen MAP and plans to pilot an AI chatbot to triage referrals more quickly.

Lawmakers pressed Roque about long waits for Medicaid waiver slots and affordability in assisted living. Delegate Jacobs warned that some people "may be dead before they ever get there" while awaiting waiver services; Roque said the department has a work group with the Department of Health and long-term services staff to shorten timelines and to incent affordable assisted-living options and more Medicaid-funded assisted-living slots. She emphasized expanding home- and community-based services as a cost-effective alternative to nursing home care.

Roque described budget limits: federal funding is largely level-funded, and two federal grants recently expired, reducing available state resources. She said the department continues to seek federal funds and is prioritizing targeted state funding where it can forestall institutionalization. On complaints about nursing homes, Roque said the state ombudsman — housed at the Department on Aging — is the place where residents' voices are heard and that, with resident permission, those local ombudsmen can share concerns with area agencies on aging.

Roque encouraged delegation members to review the LRM dashboard, contribute feedback and partner with the department. "We aren't going to be able to make Maryland longevity ready by ourselves," she said, calling the plan "a cross-state government work" that requires legislative and local government participation. The department offered to follow up with legislators on specific bills, including proposed changes to Medicaid hospice reimbursement that lawmakers flagged during Q&A.

The delegation concluded the session with calls to continue conversation offline about streamlining access to services and closing waiver timelines.