Montgomery health department presents age‑friendly needs assessment, recommends action plan

Emily Schreiner, public health planner for the Montgomery Health Department, told the Township Committee that a state grant of $7,070,000 funded an age‑friendly Montgomery needs assessment focused on residents 55 and older. Schreiner said the study combined 23 key‑informant interviews, three listening sessions and a community survey of 198 respondents (about 93% in the target age group). She said the final report will be published later in April.

Schreiner front‑loaded the presentation with demographic context: adults 55 and older make up roughly 30% of Montgomery’s population and those 65 and older about 14.7%. "Only 18% indicated they strongly agree that Montgomery is an excellent place to age," she said, noting that finding points to opportunities for improvement.

The presentation identified several recurring problems: limited use of the senior center despite broad familiarity (Schreiner said nearly 80% of respondents reported never using it), a fragmented communications environment with only about 36% agreeing there is good access to information for older adults, and transportation gaps that leave many seniors worried about future mobility. Schreiner said 70% of participants did not know who to contact for services such as meal delivery, home repairs or transportation assistance.

The assessment also highlighted local strengths, including collaborative municipal‑community relationships, connected open‑space and trail systems, multiple nearby healthcare options, and popular targeted programs such as fraud‑prevention sessions and health screenings.

Schreiner offered 18 recommendations ranging from near‑term operational fixes to longer‑term policy changes. Shorter items include centralizing senior resources on the township website and increasing the frequency of high‑demand programs (bulk pickup, mobile DMV, health screenings). Mid‑ and long‑term recommendations include adopting accessibility standards for new developments, completing a municipal facilities assessment to prioritize age‑friendly upgrades, expanding public‑transportation partnerships, and establishing a dedicated human‑services function or senior center to handle rising demand.

Committee members asked Schreiner to identify "low‑hanging fruit" among the 18 recommendations; Schreiner said the action plan she will help develop will prioritize items by ease and impact. The committee signaled support for using grant funds and budgeting to advance selected items. Schreiner said the team will prepare a detailed action plan and the full report by the end of April.