A tip of the HT100 cap to Governor Wes Moore, Secretary of the Department of Aging Carmel Roques and, what the heck, the entire state of Maryland for good measure, for the launch of Longevity Ready Maryland, its first action plan for an aging state. Maryland is not the first state to promulgate a Master Plan for Aging – California started that ball rolling in 2021 and a half dozen states have jumped in since – but we are somewhat partial to the Maryland effort as many of its “epic goals” are framed in the context of ensuring that older Marylanders have the chance to stay socially connected, purposeful, and contributing to the civic and economic life of the state.
Among the specific goals are:
Enhance a culture of social connection.
Increase the number of Maryland employers that promote sustainable career opportunities using age-inclusive policies and practices.
Create pathways for workers age 40 and over to upskill, reskill, and pursue career changes to in-demand occupations, such as health care, education, and information technology.
Maximize the benefit of older volunteers across sectors.
It’s a far-sighted vision of a society in which older adults are increasingly significant contributors to economic and civil life. Of course, it requires more than government edict to get there: businesses, nonprofits, and society more generally need to both contribute and shift attitudes to make this happen – but hopefully Longevity Ready Maryland can be a catalyst for that change.