A better life for older Americans? These states are trying to make it happen, from elder-abuse and hunger prevention to better housing.

By Jessica Hall

A $32.5 million grant program would encourage states to create plans for aging

As the population ages, everything from housing to workforces to healthcare needs to be reimagined. Several states are creating a road map for what the future, older nation will look like.

A proposed $32.5 million grant program would encourage more states to create these plans to handle the many changing needs as the population ages.

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a committee member, in February introduced the Strategic Plan for Aging Act, to create a new, nationwide grant program to support states' efforts to create their own strategic plans for aging.

"The Strategic Plan for Aging Act would deliver millions for states to develop their own strategic plans for aging, which can provide resources and solutions to help older Americans navigate everything from housing and food insecurity to skyrocketing healthcare costs, insufficient retirement savings, and elder abuse," Gillibrand said in a statement.

There are currently more than 57 million Americans aged 65 years and older and that number is expected to rise to more than 80 million by 2040, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Maryland recently started a project called Longevity Ready Maryland, which grew from an executive order by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to create a road map for a person's life as they live longer. Another 23 states are developing comprehensive plans to address the needs of older adults.

"We're looking at longevity across a lifetime, not the last 10 years of life," said Carmel Roques, secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging. "Where we are now isn't where we'll be. The current systems in place were last century models and were not built for today's realities."

The Maryland plan will look at multiple issues such as the affordable-housing crisis, building a caregiver workforce for young, old and disabled people, adding older people to the workforce across industries, as well as healthcare access and financial health.

But remaking public, private and philanthropic services for longer lives comes face-to-face with the realities of prejudice, Roques said.

"There is deep prejudice against older people. It's a very complex social issue. It will require multisector planning for actual change to take place," Roques said. "We need to get people in power to think about older people in a different way."

Read: Ageism: the one bias we all have and it'll cost us trillions

One area is adding older workers to the workforce as declining birthrates mean fewer younger people will be able to fill job openings. Those workers over the age of 50 have a much harder time becoming re-employed if they lose their jobs, Roques said, an issue that needs to change for the state to thrive.

"Older people can and do and must contribute to society or we're going to be in really desperate trouble," Roques said.

The Maryland initiative has key milestones it must hit to prove that the plan is working, Roques said. The state will produce a report by July, 2025, have a functional plan in place by January, 2026 and report annually to the governor for 10 years.

"The plan is a product. The real point is to put a planning process in place that is robust enough to bring multisector efforts to provide change over the long haul," Roques said.

Under the proposed national bill, states, territories and tribes would be eligible to apply for the grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and would have to finalize and begin implementing their plans within two years; the plans should cover a 10-year period. The act would provide for up to a total of 65 grants of up to $500,000 each over five years.

In addition to Maryland, states that are implementing or developing strategic aging plans include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

"Starting on a state level makes sense. Every state is so different and the needs are so different. Starting at a state level and building from that to a higher level - when all the work comes together - that will give us the impetus to ask for federal policy," Roques said.

-Jessica Hall

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