Senior citizens in Prince George’s County say they not only feel safe but also are more likely to stay in the communities they help build, said Michael Asante, planner coordinator for the county Department of Planning.
“Most of them say yes they feel safe, which contradicts the perception that Prince George’s is given,” he said. “The perception is, ‘Hey, in Prince George’s, you better dodge the bullets stepping out of your house.’ And that’s not how seniors here feel.”
Asante, an Upper Marlboro resident, is working on the forthcoming study “Needs of the Aging Population in Prince George’s County,” to be released in September.
“I stepped into this assuming that there would be lots of them needing jobs to survive, with the economy the way that it is, but those who expressed the desire to get jobs were more interested in having something to do, versus needing money,” he said. “I think the number of support systems we provide here between county services and family help offset needs.”
To continue to help serve seniors, Prince George’s recently created Maryland Access Point, a partnership with the local Social Services Department, Health Department, Mental Health and Disabilities Administration, and Independence Now.
It seeks to streamline the process of accessing services, programs and benefits for the consumer, said Jermoni Dowd, a spokesman for the county Department of Family Services.
Although there’s a renewed focus on seniors, funding for programs remains a challenge. The Prince George’s Administration on Aging has not cut or reduced services to elderly residents or their caregivers, Dowd said. Funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program will be cut 18 percent next fiscal year, but a plan is being developed to address the decrease.
Asante said the cursory findings are not scientific and are takeaways from focus groups conducted at neighborhood senior centers.
Based on the latest census report, 9.4 percent of residents in the county, or 81,513 people, are 65 and older, which is “definitely an increase,” he said.
“I had this hunch about six months ago that people are living longer, and the question becomes, are we prepared to respond adequately as those needs increase,” he said. “It means we have to be proactive in preparing for the expansion of this population.”
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