Karrisa Kelly on Aging and Disability Services

Aging services can sound like paperwork and waiting rooms, but in Anne Arundel County we strive to be the opposite: real people, real answers, and a department built to be the easiest part of your day. On the latest episode of the Pittman and Friends podcast, County Executive Steuart Pittman sits down with Karrisa Kelly, the Director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities. We unpack what the department actually does for older adults, people with disabilities, family caregivers, and veterans, and why planning early helps you stay independent longer.

We talk through the county’s senior activity centers and what “free membership” really gets you across all locations: fitness rooms, classes, lifelong learning, social connection, and warm spaces that fight loneliness. Then we move into the services many residents don’t realize exist, including evidence-based health promotion programs like diabetes prevention and fall prevention, plus nutrition sites that provide hot meals across the county.

Caregiving gets a full spotlight. We cover support groups, training, veteran caregiver resources, and a caregiver grant that’s intentionally low hassle. We also dig into transportation support, including door-to-door rides for residents with higher mobility needs and help getting to medical appointments. 

If you care about healthy aging, caregiver support, senior resources in Anne Arundel County, or simply want to know where to start, this conversation points the way. Subscribe, share this with someone who could use it, and leave a review with the one service you wish more people knew about.

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome back to Pittman and Friends Podcast. I'm here today with my friend, Carissa Kelly from the Department of Aging and Disabilities. Welcome.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Hello, and thank you for having me here today.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Folks, Carissa is one of my favorites. I know I say that probably more often than I should, but in terms of competence and doing amazing work and stepping up in a crisis, Carissa has been a hero in Aaron Rondo County. And a lot of folks, older folks particularly, and folks with disabilities know that. But why don't you start out just telling us what the department does?

Senior Centers And What They Offer

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Sure. So the Department of Aging and Disabilities for Annerundal County, we serve older adults, we serve individuals with disabilities, we serve family caregivers, we now serve veterans, and really anyone interested in planning for their future, and that's pretty much all residents. So we would rather serve you in a proactive way and get you prepared for the continuum of aging.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

So when you say you serve them, I think some people have driven by and are aware that we have senior centers. Why don't you start there and then maybe just some of the other services you do?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Sure. So we have 25 programs actually in the county in 22 locations. So our senior activity centers, there's eight in network. They are one out of 25 programs that we offer the residents of our county. That's just one program. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

And maybe the most expensive in terms of the capital budget.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Yeah. Sure. And you know, I really uh this administration, the Pittman administration, has made a true investment in our senior activity centers, starting with our Severn Intergenerational Center. Building that created such a unique opportunity. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Can you name them all? Yes. You can?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

I'm not sure if I can. Don't test me, but I'll test you. Okay. Tell the name of the part of the county.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Sure. So they're pretty much named for the part of the county in which they are. But we have the Severn Intergenerational Center, which is by Viennbakklin Elementary Mead Village area.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Oh yeah. And a gym. Yeah. Folks play pool. That's fun. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Yes. And they play pickleball. And pickleball. Oh, right, right. So that's unique to that center, is they're able to play pickleball, and that's a very, very big deal there. Okay. Okay. So that's the newest one. And then what are the others? We have the Arnold Senior Activities Center, which you know is a capital project. It's going to receive a renovation and 2,000 square foot expansion. Yes. Yes. So that is due to open July of 2026. That center has been temporarily housed at Ann Ornald Community College, which is great because every senior center participates in community college classes and lifelong learning.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

So that's uh definitely an exciting thing to open up that center that's been closed. We have the O'Malley Senior Activity Center that is in the western part of the county. Um we have Annapolis Senior Activity Center, uh, South County Senior Activities Center, which was another 2,000 square foot renovation and expansion. Thank you. Love that one. I'm old enough to attend now. It's near near where I live. Yes, wonderful. The Pasadena Senior Activity Center, located in Lakeshore Plaza. We also have our Brooklyn Park, a senior activity center on Hammonds Lane. And then we have our Pascal Senior Activity Center that's located in Glen Burney. And what's I guess important to note is that once you are a member of one, you are a member of all of them. So no matter where you are in the county, if you see something that's offered at one of our senior centers, feel free to attend. How much does it cost to be a member? It's free. All right. So yes, it's a great place for seniors to go. Every center is really mirroring its community, whether you participate in a yoga class, we have free fitness rooms with state-of-the-art equipment. We have painting, community college classes, and the list really goes on and on. Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

And I and I've got to say, when you walk into any of these senior centers, the um they're the regulars, and then they're the people who come for certain events, and there's the staff and and they're the meals. And I get to come during the holidays because you always have these holiday events. And I just gotta say, they're just really warm, loving places that are so important. What we'll we'll get into some of the other programs, but what are how are we doing on our senior population?

SPEAKER_00 4:41

Growing? We are definitely growing. And that is not just uh Annerundal County specific, but it's a national trend. And that older adults are outpacing school-aged children. Wow. Just in Anerundel County, our expected and uh projected growth, referencing the Maryland State Plan on aging, is we are expected to have a 27 percent increase of individuals that are 60 and older by 2045.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

27 percent. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

That's huge for our county of 600,000 residents. That's huge.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Yeah. Okay. So that is probably why when I decided that I was going to run or I was I was questioning whether I should run for county executive. I sat down with former county executive Janet Owens, and when she realized I was serious about this, the last thing she said to me was make me one promise: don't forget about the Department of Aging and Disabilities. You have to support their work.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Thank you. And that has definitely happened, not just within our senior activity centers, but programs-wide.

Carissa’s Path Into Advocacy Work

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Good advice. Hey, let's back up a second and go to you. How did you end up doing this kind of work?

SPEAKER_00 5:50

What got you where you are? So I'm proud to tell the story because I think it's really important to note that not everybody gets to decide early on in life what they want like to spend their investment and time doing and sharing their passion. But I've been in the aging and disabilities field for 32 years. I have started in this career path.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

We won't ask how old you are, but you don't look like you're a whole lot older than that.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

I started in this career path when I was 17 years old. Oh now we can do the math, but I won't. Oh, okay, yeah, yeah. Working um at a home-based service for individuals with Alzheimer's or a dementia. Um, you know, just providing boots on the ground here. So you were in high school at the time, then. Yes. Wow. Yes. Okay. You know, and just assisting the individuals. And then, you know, across at the R. And did you think at that time that that you might make a career of this? I absolutely did. So there was a specific a specific thing that happened where I had the opportunity at 17 to advocate for the residents' rights by contacting our local ombudsman program, knowing that something just wasn't quite right.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

So you were a whistleblower in the place you worked?

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Aaron Powell I was a whistleblower at age 17 where I worked. And I knew if I had enough ability to advocate for older adults in that way that education, experience, and and really, you know, getting to know the field, I could be a really great advocate. And now I've worked across the state of Ohio, Virginia, and now Maryland in all aspects of aging services from schools to residential facilities to day programs and you know now county government.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Wow. So it wasn't your own family that that got you hooked on this, or was there some of that too?

SPEAKER_00 7:40

No, it w I wouldn't say it was my own family. I didn't have the opportunity to know my uh my paternal grandparents. I just had my uh my one grandmother on my mother's side. But really, you know, in looking at just caregiving across the board, because we all have an opportunity once in our lives to be caregivers. Aaron Ross Powell Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Right. Well, okay. So obviously there was something about this work that that moved you and kept you doing it all of these years. So we got the senior centers, we've got the population growth. You have transportation, you do some housing, you do some health care work. What's what else do you do?

SPEAKER_00 8:19

So um, and I I would back up just to talk about how our community accesses us. Okay. Um so you know, we have two customer service locations in the county in addition to those senior activity centers. So we have one in Glen Burney and one in Annapolis. And you cannot know about any of our programs but know you have a need. And you can come in, you can call, you can schedule an appointment. It's not going to be something that you have to sit there all day and plan to do in order to get a service or a resource. My team knows that given the population that we serve, we need to be the easiest per part of a person's day. And that's exactly what we are. So though I won't be able to go through the other 24 programs. Um but I think, you know, there uh sometimes is an association with aging services that it's income or asset-based, and that couldn't be more untrue. Programs that we have, such as evidence-based health promotion classes, where we do things like uh diabetes prevention, uh, you know, with six-week classes for you know the general community at large. We do false prevention, things like that. As you've mentioned, we augment the office of transportation through our own transportation services. We have our easy travel access program, which is a door-to-door service, so it's kind of more of a niche service for people that have a higher mobility um need in order to access things in the community.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

So that helps people get to medical appointments, is that true?

SPEAKER_00 9:56

Yeah. And we actually travel 20 miles outside of the county through that transportation option, so it really is an important service. Wow. Wow. And you feed people too, right? Yes, that's a huge program. So we have 22 nutrition sites throughout the county. So, of course, eight are our senior activity centers where you can come and get a hot meal. Sometimes we offer special meals, and that's five days a week, Monday through Friday. But the other, you know, the other nutrition sites are throughout the county and senior congregate buildings and high-rise apartments.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

And I've heard you talk about caregivers, the people in families. I know we were in an event together that was about caregivers in particular, and I think there's been some there's been some legislation at least proposed. What's going on with that? How do you serve the families that are giving the care?

Caregiver Support And No-Red-Tape Grants

SPEAKER_00 10:46

So, caregiver uh program, and I have to talk about Mary Chapit from my team. She is the subject matter expert on family caregiving and has really grown that program to include so many different supports and resources for caregivers. So we have support groups. You know, almost half of all Maryland caregivers are also full-time employees and caring for children. So that sandwich generation. And that's a huge job. Just think of the in-kind um uh, you know, money saved from a family caregiver. So we offer them education and training, we offer them support groups, hidden heroes. Um, those are for our veteran family caregivers. Um, I think that you had just mentioned we had gone to an event for.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Yeah. In fact, I remember your parents were there, right?

SPEAKER_00 11:37

They were. They were because my um before he passed, my mother was a caregiver to my father for quite some time. And he was a veteran that served our country in Vietnam. Oh wow. Vietnam vet. Yeah. But we really, I mean, we offer caregiver grants, and these are no red tape. They're one piece of paper. You literally fill it out if you're caring for a loved one or if you are an older adult caring for grandchildren. And it's uh roughly about$500 per grandchild, and it's$500 for your loved one. We don't make you report back on how you spend it, and these funds come from federal dollars.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

I was gonna ask you where they came from. So you do administer a lot of federal and state programs as well as whatever we can do from the county, yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Yes, through the Older Americans Act. So a lot of our programs come from uh Older Americans Act funding, state funding, local funding, but we also have private sector partnerships in the community. We are in agreement with the area hospitals in order to provide a service to community members and to the hospitals for people that are high utilizers of either the emergency room department or calls to the fire department for 911. So we do have two different programs that focus on wrapping social and clinical services around the individual to make them more successful in the community and less dependent on those emergent systems of care. So really two great programs there.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Yeah.

Housing Oversight And Person-Centered Care

SPEAKER_01 13:08

And what about housing? I mean, it it it's obviously a big issue for big challenge for the people you serve. Do you do anything?

SPEAKER_00 13:16

Right. So um as far as for housing right now, which will be changing soon, we monitor the four to sixteen bed small community-based assisted livings within the county.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Oh, right. I remember. Yeah. I remember during COVID you had some situations that you really had to keep on top of.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Back to your whistleblower days, huh?

SPEAKER_00 13:35

Right.

unknown 13:36

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Right. So but now we are moving that model more to a case management structure, so making it more person-centered on the people living inside the homes and less about the facility at large. But that's a future change that we'll see in the next year down the line throughout the state of Maryland.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Okay. Okay. So at the state level, I know you've talked about some programs that they have longevity ready. Does that out of thin air and get it wrong? No, you did it. You got it right.

Longevity Ready Maryland Explained

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Okay, I got it right. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: So you we had talked about the population growth in our county, but what I didn't mention is people are living longer and healthier lives. They're living a lifespan of over 100, which is great news for everyone, right? Yeah. Everybody wants to live well for as long as possible. So the state has a 10-year multi-sector plan on aging called Longevity Ready Maryland. You are correct. And basically, again, planning for a lifespan, a lifespan of services, but working with our partners in the community like the Department of Health and workforce development and transportation. How do we make an inclusive longevity ready community? And so the state has their four epic goals, and this is on their website. The first would be building a longevity-ready ecosystem. So having an inclusive environment that recognizes the contributions of older adults, promoting economic opportunity for older adults. So if I'm living at 100, do I want to quit working at 50, 60? No, probably not. And do I, as an employer, want to lose that institutional wisdom and knowledge of an older adult? Absolutely not. So just being a little bit more thoughtful about how we employ older adults, you know, in our community.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Yeah, I will say that in the county it's been people are working longer and it's great. We also have a lot of boards and commissions of people serving using the knowledge that they have that have a lot of older people in them. And that's been really valuable. I mean, they're giving back.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

Absolutely. And then the two you know remaining goals are um affording longevity. So it's Do you help people with financial planning and figuring out how they're gonna financial planning is not a need to us, but we help equip them with the resources that they can do things like financial planning.

Older Americans Month Event Details

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Yeah. Yeah. So one of the coolest things that you do that I get to go to every year is during Older Americans Month, you celebrate. And I think you moved to Pipmoire, is that right, in Annapolis?

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Aaron Ross Powell, Jr. We had to move somewhere. Because you got so big. It was, you know, in the early days there were maybe 300 or 400 people at best that attended, and last year's event garnered upwards of 800 residents. That's a huge showing. Yeah, it was. And you had live music and people were dancing. Yeah. No, I was dancing. You were dancing. Yes. I always try to really, you know, put myself in the mix and enjoy myself. Um, because again, going back to why I'm in this field, you have to remember why. And uh I really enjoy that event. So May is Older Americans Month, celebrated every day, but annually at this event. And this year's theme is championing your health. Um so you know, the fourth goal in longevity ready is optimizing your health and wellness, being an advocate for your health. So we'll have the event, save the date, is May 27th from 11 to uh two at the Pitmoir Rec Center in Annapolis. We will have wonderful food, entertainment. All of our county partners come out and set up tables to have a resource event, which I I love the partnership there. So it should be a really good time.

Finding Help By Phone Or Online

SPEAKER_01 17:32

So what would you say to folks out there that are at home, maybe lonely, getting older, and just just need to get out and and improve the quality of life? What can you know, what how do they find you?

SPEAKER_00 17:47

So you can uh call the 410-222-4257 number, or just drop by one of our customer service locations, again at 7320 Ritchie Highway in Glen Burney, and our southern location is in Annapolis at 2666 Reva Road. Just come in and say hello. You don't even have to be sure of what you want or need, but we can talk to you about senior centers. If that's not your excitement, we can talk to you about recreation and parks and libraries and uh the wonderful other things that our county has dedicated to older adults and people with disabilities.

Volunteers And Emergency Response Stories

SPEAKER_01 18:26

And you have volunteer groups, right, in each of the senior centers? Yes. How is that structured? How do people get involved in that?

SPEAKER_00 18:33

We have wonderful volunteer groups in every arena of business at the Department of Aging and Disabilities. So we do have volunteers that go into our senior centers and really those they help make that center work with minimal staff. We have volunteers, I call them the rocket science uh scientists of Medicare. They come in and offer benefits counseling for Medicare to our 86,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the county and 3,000 new to Medicare each year. That's a wonderful team. We have ombudsman volunteers that go into nursing home and advocate for older adults. We have volunteers that make phone calls to homebound older adults to do well checks, and the list keeps going on.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

That was amazing during COVID.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

When folks were really isolated. Yes. And you just checked up on them.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Yes. Every one of our staff pivoted. We offered food distribution sites. We assisted the Warren Line to set up people's vaccinations to the tune of 17,000 with my tiny but mighty team who I'm definitely going to shamelessly plug here. I have a wonderful team. These people do work with their hearts and they make the magic happen for our residents. So thank you, team.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Yeah. And and many of them have been doing this work for a while. Because I guess they're like you. They're committed to it. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

We have lifers. Yeah. We have lifers because people really love what they're doing. And that makes all the difference in the service that our residents receive. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

And I you know I should also say that not just COVID, but every time we have a major emergency operations event, our EOC is open where there's a snowstorm or whatever it is, y'all are there and during those regular meetings that happen every few hours where all the agencies you're reporting on the folks that you know need to get to I mean, you literally had firefighters that you had convinced to go out there and shovel the ice or you know, pick the ice off of people's walks so they could get to doctor's appointments, right?

SPEAKER_00 20:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

And we have a a great emergency operations department in this county who are just diligent more than anyone will ever know. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Yeah.

unknown 20:47

Yeah.

Final Thanks And Subscribe Prompt

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Well that I mean that is the thing. And I gotta say, that's the thing that when I came into government, which I was an outsider when I came into this job, and so I got stuck in at the top, you know, with maybe a bit of an attitude. I didn't really think that government uh folks were doing the best work. I you know, you you hear all these things about government and how inefficient it is and how, you know, people are just there for a paycheck and all that. Man, go into the Department of A. I mean, go into a lot of our departments, and the passion and the talent is just extraordinary. And and it's not like your folks are getting paid a whole lot of money to do the work either. You know, they could probably go make more money also. I shouldn't say that. They could not, but so really just thank you and please thank all of them. If people want to reach you online, where do they go? Aacounty.org forward slash doed. All right. Or I guess you can just Google, right? In Toronto County, Aging Disabilities. And and the phone number, again, for people who don't use computers.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Is 410-222-4257. Excellent. Well, uh, you get the last word. Oh, thank you. You are listening to Pittman Information. Podcast. If you like what you hear, please hit the subscribe button, share with a friend, and join us for the next episode.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Thank you so much for what you do.