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Living an ‘Age-Friendly’ Life

Maryland joins AARP network

Katherine Shaver,

AARP

Published October 28, 2026

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Priscilla Kania wonders where she’ll live as she grows older.

She’d prefer to stay in her Annapolis home, where she has lived for five years, but the front steps there could become too unsafe to navigate on her own. Bringing in round-the-clock care would be expensive. Meanwhile, she says, nearby independent or assisted living communities are unaffordable.

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“I think, ‘Where would I go?’” says the retired psychotherapist.

As an AARP Maryland volunteer, Kania says, she’s heard from plenty of other older Marylanders with the same question. They say their homes have become too expensive, difficult to maintain or unsuitable for a wheelchair. Public transportation is often far away. Meanwhile, their area’s single-family home zoning can leave few apartments, cottages or other opportunities to downsize.

“It’s very frustrating,” Kania says, “because I think a lot of us feel a bit powerless.”

The need for more affordable and accessible housing is the kind of quality-of-life issue Kania hopes will draw more attention since Maryland recently joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. AARP grants the designation to state and local governments that commit to making communities more livable for people of all ages, particularly older adults.

As of October, the national network includes 16 other states and 1,072 counties, cities and towns — including eight in Maryland. Members develop age-friendly action plans and share best practices with others in the network about ways to improve transportation, public spaces and other aspects of community life.

Jen Holz, AARP Maryland’s senior associate state director for community outreach, says the designation recognizes the recently developed Longevity Ready Maryland plan. The 10-year plan, which the Maryland General Assembly adopted into law this year, outlines policies to help people at all stages of life and coordinates efforts among government, the private sector and nonprofits.

A Growing Older Population

As in the rest of the United States and across the world, Maryland’s older population continues to grow as people live longer. More than 1 in 5 Maryland residents are age 60-plus. “[We’re] preparing our state so that we have policies and plans and investments that actually help us to have our healthspans match our lifespans in Maryland,” says Liz Woodward, assistant secretary of planning for the Maryland Department of Aging. “So this [designation] is like a natural next step.”

As part of joining the network in 2015, Montgomery County pledged to incorporate older adults’ interests into everything from transportation to parks and employment programs, says Shawn Brennan, program manager for Age-Friendly Montgomery.

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“It gives you something to live up to,” Brennan says.

Calvert County’s participation in the AARP age-friendly network since 2022 has highlighted the need to expand public transportation and health care options in rural Southern Maryland, says Ed Sullivan, division chief for the Calvert County Office on Aging.

In 2024, the Board of County Commissioners made the county’s public buses free for riders of all ages — a move the county’s Department of Community Resources advocated for as a way to help older residents reach health care appointments, Sullivan says.

Even so, many older Calvert adults — particularly in the Solomons area — must drive an hour or longer to reach medical specialists, such as psychiatrists and gerontologists, in Anne Arundel County and the Washington, D.C., area, he says. People who can’t drive have limited long-distance bus options.

“Getting individuals to important medical appointments has still been challenging,” Sullivan says.

He notes other goals as well, including better connecting older residents with volunteer opportunities and bringing organizations that teach resume writing and job interview skills directly into Calvert’s senior centers.

Brennan knows Montgomery has more to do, too.

“Age-friendly is not actually a destination,” she says, adding, “It’s a continual process, continuous quality improvement. You want your community to evolve and get ever-more age friendly.”

More AARP resources on communities:

Katherine Shaver is a Washington, D.C.–area freelance writer for AARP who has covered state issues affecting people age 50 and older — including advocacy, fraud prevention, and public policy. She draws on more than 30 years of journalism experience, including a long career at The Washington Post.

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