North Wales, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) Secretary Jason Kavulich today hosted a community conversation roundtable in North Wales to amplify the Department’s major wins in Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget and highlight how a more than $10 million investment will help the Commonwealth’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) deliver essential services like meals, older adult protective services, and transportation to the Commonwealth’s diverse older adult population.
“This time of year, many of us pause and reflect on what we accomplished and how we improve ourselves in the coming year. Looking back on what the Aging network has achieved since the first days of the Shapiro Administration, there is much to be grateful for,” said Secretary Kavulich. “In addition to investing in older Pennsylvanians, we have also seen an investment in the Department’s infrastructure, the first of its kind in decades. This investment helps us provide regional support and expand our ability to administer service across our aging network.”
Governor Shapiro’s budget also invests another $3 million for Aging Our Way, PA – Pennsylvania’s 10-year strategic, multi-sector plan to meet the needs and preferences of older adults – to continue building community supports so we can all keep thriving as we age.
“Pennsylvania is home to 3.4 million older adults, the fifth highest total in the country, which includes our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) older adults. The Shapiro administration is committed to addressing critical needs for older adults, especially underserved populations such as Pennsylvania’s AAPI older adults, to help them stay safe, healthy and engaged in their communities,” said Razin Karu, Executive Director, PA Governor’s Commission on Asian American Pacific Islander Affairs.
At the Jaison Community Wellness Plaza, Secretary Kavulich noted all older adults will benefit from the investments in aging programs provided by the local aging agencies like older adult protective services, senior community centers, and reimbursement for grandparents raising grandchildren and other caregivers.
"This budget increase would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of so many. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Secretary Kavulich, the Department of Aging, and Governor Shapiro in helping to ensure that the existing and growing needs of Pennsylvania’s older adult population were recognized and honored with these additional dollars,” said Jennifer Haeussler-Barnhart, Administrator, Montgomery County Area Agency on Aging. “AAAs will be better positioned to support the growing need for in-home supports such as home-delivered meals, personal care, and protective services. We will also be able to better support our network of community partners, such as our 13 funded Senior Community Centers across Montgomery County, including the Jaisohn Senior Center."
During the development of Aging Our Way, PA, the Department engaged with more than 20,000 older adults and community members, including in Montgomery County. Asian community leaders played a big role in the engagement process by leading community input sessions to help shape the plan.
“With support from Montgomery County, we recently completed the AAPI Community Strengths and Needs Assessment Study. The findings clearly show that issues facing older adults are among the top priorities for our community. The study underscores the importance of strong, community-based supports for older adults, including language-accessible and culturally responsive services – exactly what the Jaisohn Community Wellness Plaza is designed to provide. In that context, Secretary Kavulich’s visit is both timely and meaningful, and this community conversation with local leaders and older adults is especially important,” said George Choe, President & CEO, Jaisohn Center/Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation.
Governor Shapiro’s budget also delivered a $5 million investment to help the Commonwealth become a leader in research on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, ALS and Parkinson’s. This funding follows the creation of the Commonwealth’s first-ever Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Related Disorders office at the Department of Aging last year.
A History of Investing in and Caring for Older Adults
Since taking office in 2023, Governor Shapiro has made all older Pennsylvanians a priority, investing more than $26 million to provide supports to help diverse older adult populations to stay safe, healthy and engaged in their communities.
Those investments included $3 million for year one implementation of Aging Our Way, PA, which included the development of the PA CareKit – a resource to support the Commonwealth’s unpaid caregivers including spouses, adult children, and grandparents raising grandchildren. The Department launched the PA CareKit in May 2025, and it has received national recognition from The National Alliance for Caregiving, the National Academy for State Health Policy, and ADvancing States have praised the PA CareKit, which offers an array of personalized and tailored resource guides, and resources for families to evaluate and select professional caregivers.
Last month, Governor Shapiro signed a bill into law that extends the cost-of-living moratorium for the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) program and the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET), allowing older Pennsylvanians keep money in their pocket and maintain their prescription medication benefits. PACE and PACENET currently serve more than 250,000 older Pennsylvanians.
Learn more about how Pennsylvania is serving the needs of older adults by visiting the Department of Aging's website.