developing Missouri's master plan on aging - Missourians aging with dignity

Town Hall Comments

Overarching Goal

All Missourians, regardless of age or ability, will have access to person-centered programs and services necessary to help them age in their environment of choice in a safe and healthy manner.

7 Broad Goals for the Missouri Master Plan on Aging

Click on the Subcommittee pictures to find out more about each one!

Subcommittee

Broad Goal for Subcommittee

Employment and Volunteerism
Daily Life and Employment
Missourians will live the lives they desire as they age with access to employment options, recreational activities, and opportunities to engage in civic and social opportunities.
Family Caregivers
Family Caregivers
Family caregivers in Missouri will be adequately trained and have access to resources to provide effective care in support of the care recipient’s choices and their own well-being.
Housing and Aging in Place
Housing and Aging In Place
Missourians will live where they choose in communities that respect their desire to age with dignity in environments that are safe, healthy, and allow for maximum independence.
Long-term Services and Supports
Long-Term Services and Supports
Missourians will have access to information to assist them in making an informed choice regarding a continuum of home and community based services; which help them stay safely in their homes for as long as they desire and will also have access to safe, healthy, and inviting options for necessary institutional care.
Safety and Security
Safety and Security
Missourians will have education and resources available to them to keep them safe; free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and to help them plan for their financial security in retirement.
Transportation and Mobility
Transportation and
Mobility
Missourians will have access to safe and reliable transportation and mobility options so they can get to the places they need or desire to go.
Whole-person Health
Whole Person Health
Missourians will have access to the care and services needed to help them live a safe, healthy life with maximum independence as they age.

Currently, there are more than 1.1 million Missouri citizens over the age of 60. Estimates suggest that older adults will outnumber minors for the first time by 2030 and older adults will greatly outnumber minors by 2060. The U.S. older population is also becoming more diverse. These demographic shifts will have a profound impact on the volume and types of services and support that states provide to older adults and people with disabilities, as well as family caregivers.

On January 19, 2023, Governor Parson signed Executive Order 23-01 to establish a Master Plan on Aging to help reduce age and disability discrimination, eliminate barriers to safe and healthy aging, and help Missourians age with dignity. This Executive Order created an advisory council and tasked DHSS with the development of a plan by Dec. 31, 2025.

A Master Plan on Aging is a cross-sector, state-led strategic resource that can help us transform the infrastructure and coordination of services for our rapidly aging population. The plan will build bridges across government agencies, facilitate collaboration with diverse stakeholders, promote equity, raise awareness among policymakers and the public, establish statewide priorities, and incorporate an aging and disability lens across state priorities beyond traditional health care and community.

In addition to the advisory council, subcommittees will be formed to focus on core areas related to healthy aging. The currently planned subcommittees are outlined below. If you are interested in serving on one or more, email Mindy.Ulstad@health.mo.gov.

There will also be opportunities for public engagement in the development of the Master Plan on Aging. Current plans are to conduct a statewide needs survey and multiple town halls, both virtual and in person throughout the state.

Advisory Council

Master Plan on Aging Advisory Council Members

Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe
Senator Mike Moon
Representative Yolanda Fountain Henderson
Ken Zellers, Office of Administration
Chris Chinn, Department of Agriculture
Sara Parker Pauley, Department of Conservation
Anne Precythe, Department of Corrections
Maggie Kost, Department of Economic Development
Margie Vandeven, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Paula F. Nickelson, Department of Health and Senior Services
Leroy Wade, Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
Chlora Lindley-Myers, Department of Commerce and Insurance
Anna Hui, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
Val Huhn, Department of Mental Health
Dru Buntin, Department of Natural Resources
Sandy Karsten, Department of Public Safety
Wayne Wallingford, Department of Revenue
Robert J. Knodell, Department of Social Services
Patrick McKenna, Department of Transportation
Lana Johnson, Aging Matters and President of ma4
Deb Hobson, Centers for Independent Living

Nancy Pennington, Missouri Association of County Developmental Disability Services
Tiffany Bayer, DHSS Centers for Local Public Health Services
Tina Uridge, Senior Tax Levy Boards
Cindy Shultz, Missouri Association of Councils of Governments
Tim Brinker, County Commissioners Association of Missouri
Richard Sheets, Missouri Municipal League
Sheli Reynolds, UMKC Institute for Human Development
Jon Doolittle, Missouri Hospital Association
Jay Hardenbrook, Missouri AARP
Beth Brown, Senior Community Services Employment Program
Paul Kirchoff, Missouri Veterans Commission
LaTasha Barnes, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Angel Surdin, DHSS Office of Minority Health
Jamie Opsal, Missouri Council on Aging
Sarah Lovegreen, Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri Chapter
Jennifer Carter Dochler, Missouri Foundation for Health
Angela Williams, Health Forward Foundation
Jenni Miller, Missouri Housing Development Commission
Craig Escude, M.D., IntellectAbility

Missouri Aging Profiles

With the Missouri Aging Profiles, the Department of Health and Senior Services has gathered important statistics from a variety of sources, focusing on relevant topics that affect our state. Each profile is a snapshot of specific information relating to some of the top issues older adults are facing now and will face in the future. This data is available for the state of Missouri as a whole, as well as for each of our 114 counties and the City of St. Louis.

To view a particular profile, click the appropriate county on the map or choose it by name from the dropdown menu. Statewide information can be accessed from the top of the dropdown menu or by selecting this document, County Fact Sheet.

Additional Resources and Information

The seven Master Plan on Aging subcommittees developed recommendations based on their first year of work. These recommendations are not final and are only presented for transparency so the public can see the work currently being done by the subcommittees. The feedback coming from the upcoming town halls and Statewide Needs Assessment Survey will be used to ensure that the final recommendations will be inclusive of the needs and desires of all Missourians as they age.

Combined Recommendations from All Subcommittees for MO MPA

Share your thoughts on aging in Missouri