LeadingAge Maryland’s Mission and Impact on Aging Services
LeadingAge Maryland is a trusted voice for aging in Maryland, representing over 150 mission-driven not-for-profit aging services organizations. These organizations include Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC)/Life Plan communities, affordable senior housing, home and community-based services providers, skilled nursing, and assisted living communities.
Innovative Services and Partnerships
LeadingAge Maryland stands out for its commitment to collaboration and partnerships. In October 2023, LeadingAge Maryland was awarded a $350,000 grant to improve the wellbeing of older Marylanders in affordable senior housing. This grant, provided by the Thome Aging Well Grant Program, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and The Stulman Foundation, is a two-year initiative to refine and evaluate a training program for maintenance and property managers in affordable senior housing.
“We are thrilled to have been awarded these funds,” notes LeadingAge Maryland president and CEO and senior project director, Allison Ciborowski. “Often, environmental services and property management staff interact with the residents in these communities more than anyone else, yet most have received very little to no specialized training in working with older people.”
Allison Ciborowski, President and CEO at LeadingAge Maryland
National Memory Care Symposium
On July 8-9, 2024, LeadingAge Maryland teamed up with LifeSpan Network to host the inaugural National Memory Care Symposium. Held at Ingleside at King Farm, a retirement community in Rockville, Maryland, this two-day event brought together 120 aging services professionals. The symposium aimed to challenge and change the misperceptions surrounding memory care services and empower compassionate care for those navigating the challenges of cognitive decline.
“We are honored to present the first-ever National Memory Care Symposium, planned and presented in partnership with LeadingAge Maryland,” shared LifeSpan Network’s President & CEO Kevin Heffner. “This groundbreaking event revolutionized the way we approach memory care, offering unparalleled insights and innovative strategies to enhance the quality of life for seniors living with memory impairments,”
Developing Future Leaders
LeadingAge Maryland is also dedicated to developing and growing future aging services leaders. They run three leadership development programs aimed at providing future leaders with the tools and resources to succeed in the not-for-profit aging services landscape in Maryland.
Allison Ciborowski highlights the importance of these programs: “Reshaping the picture of memory care requires us to use new inclusive language about the work that we do, and to embrace new approaches and innovative models of support and care.”
Educational Resources and Advocacy
In addition to leadership development, LeadingAge Maryland offers a variety of educational resources for all aging services professionals. From annual conferences and symposiums to webinars and workgroups, LeadingAge’s leaders focus on providing solutions and resources to some of the industry’s most pressing challenges.
Whether it is peer networks, advocacy, collaboration, or collective impact, LeadingAge Maryland aims to deliver on its mission of being the trusted voice for aging in Maryland.
