Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich and Jennifer Haeussler-Barnhart, administrator of the Montgomery County Area Agency on Aging, speak with community members following a Shapiro Administration community conversation on aging services and investments for older Pennsylvanians, at the Jaisohn Community Wellness Plaza in North Wales. (Courtesy of PAcast).
Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich recently hosted a community conversation roundtable in North Wales to amplify what he characterized as the department’s wins in the recently passed 2025-26 state budget and highlight how a more than $10 million investment will help the commonwealth’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging deliver essential services to a 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 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.”
The state 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 everyone can continue to thrive as they age, according to a PA Department of Aging press release.
“Pennsylvania is home to 3.4 million older adults, the fifth highest total in the country, which includes our Asian American Pacific Islander 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, Kavulich noted that 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 of the 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, said the release.
“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 and CEO, Jaisohn Center/Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation.
Gov. Josh 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, said the release.
History of senior services under Shapiro
Since taking office in 2023, Shapiro has invested more than $26 million to help diverse older adult populations stay safe, healthy and engaged in their communities. Those investments included $3 million for year one implementation of Aging Our Way, PA, which contained 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 also launched the PA CareKit in May 2025, which has received national recognition from The National Alliance for Caregiving, the National Academy for State Health Policy, and ADvancing States, who have praised the program for providing an array of personalized and tailored resource guides and resources for families to evaluate and select professional caregivers.
In addition, Governor Shapiro last month 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, said the release.
