Carmel Roques To Be Sworn In as New Maryland Department of Aging Secretary
The Maryland Department of Aging is pleased to welcome Carmel Roques, appointed by Governor Wes Moore and sworn in this month as the new Secretary and leader of the department. With more than 30 years of experience in the aging field, Roques has proven her dedication to improving the lives of older people and their families.
Known for her multi-sector, collaborative approach to planning and preparing for healthy longer lives in Maryland, Roques has led and transformed non-profit organizations, building strong cultures of service excellence and innovation. Her expertise includes dementia, palliative care, strategic planning, organizational development, community health, and service delivery models for older people.
Roques served for a decade as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Keswick Multi-Care Center in Baltimore, a 138-year-old not-for-profit community healthcare provider. She served as CEO throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, creating the emergency response infrastructure required to keep residents, families, and employees safe and healthy. As CEO, she also led the creation of Keswick Community Health’s Wise & Well Center for Healthy Living.
Before serving as CEO of Keswick, Roques was Chief Operating Officer for Virginia United Methodist Homes, and prior to that, she worked for twelve years at the Episcopal Ministries to the Aging in Eldersburg, Maryland, culminating in more than three years as COO. Her early career roles included Director of Adult Day Care and Director of Home Care Services for Catholic Charities in Baltimore.
Roques has proudly served on many community boards including The Village Learning Place, The Maryland American Diabetes Association, Friends and Foundation of Howard County Library, and currently Maryland Humanities. She has also served older people and their families on the Maryland Commission on Aging, the Maryland Medicare/Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Maryland Coalition on Mental Health and Aging, and the Maryland CARE Transformation Steering Committee. Roques served as past Chair of both the Maryland Philanthropy Network and LifeSpan Network. Roques has been recognized by the Daily Record among Maryland Top 100 Women, Top CEOs, and Influential Leaders in Health Care.
Roques has a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland, California. She lives in Columbia, Maryland.
We at the Department of Aging welcome Secretary Roques and look forward to many years of working together to enhance and improve the lives of older adults across Maryland, while continuing to make Maryland a great place to live and age.
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Avoid Scams and Fraud Targeted at Older Adults
 National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) — March 5 - 11, 2023 — is a time when government agencies, including the Maryland Department of Aging, and consumer protection groups work together to share information about consumer rights and help people learn to spot, report, and avoid scams.
Older adults across the country are targeted every day by scammers trying to get money from their victims or convince them to provide personal information, such as Social Security, Medicare card, and bank account numbers.
Scammers use various means - the internet, e-mail, texts, social media, other messaging sites, regular mail, in person, and by telephone - to deceive their victims. The types of scams are widespread and change frequently to take advantage of new technology and current events, like the COVID pandemic or the Medicare Open Enrollment period. Often, scammers will promise goods, services, or financial benefits that do not exist, were never intended to be provided, or were misrepresented. Sadly, exploiters are not always strangers, but often are family and "friends."
While hundreds of cases of exploitation of older adults are reported in Maryland each year, these numbers are estimated to be only a fraction of the thousands of cases that go unreported. Furthermore, the number of older adults who are taken advantage of is expected to increase as the elderly population continues to grow in Maryland.
To read the latest from consumer protection experts, visit ftc.gov/ncpw. To learn more about the top scams targeting older adults and the warning signs of scams and fraud go to aging.maryland.gov/pages/scams. For more information on Medicare scams, go to aging.maryland.gov/pages/medicarescams.To learn about Project S.A.F.E. (Stop Adult Financial Exploitation) and how to report financial exploitation, go aging.maryland.gov/Pages/elder-financial-exploitation.
National Nutrition Month Celebrates 50th Anniversary
National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign started 50 years ago by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to encourage people to make informed food choices and develop healthful eating and physical activity habits.
This year's theme - Fuel for the Future - focuses on eating with sustainability in mind, while creating healthy habits that support healthy aging. Good nutrition is important for everyone, but changes that happen as you age can make it harder to eat a healthy diet. Some of these changes could include suddenly living alone and having trouble getting around; health conditions that make it harder to cook or shop; medicines that change how food tastes or take away appetite; or limited income to purchase groceries.
The Maryland Department of Aging plays an integral role in ensuring quality nutrition programs and supplemental food are available to older adults throughout the state. The department works closely with the 19 Area Agencies on Aging in each Maryland jurisdiction, food banks, and other partners around the state to achieve this goal.
Some of the nutrition programs supported by the Maryland Department of Aging include:
- Home Delivered Meals
- Congregate Nutrition Programs (Group Dining in the Community);
- Nutrition Screening, Counseling, and Education;
- My Groceries To Go! (Commodity Supplemental Food Program); and
- Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.
Services may vary by location. Click here to find your local Area Agency on Aging, which can then direct you to nutrition programs available in your area.
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March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling are working together this month to increase increase public awareness of problem gambling and prevention, treatment, and recovery services available in Maryland.
While gambling often is considered a harmless form of entertainment, the rates for older adults’ participation in gambling have jumped dramatically over the past several years, as have the problems associated with gambling. According to the NCPG, adults over 65 have identified gambling is a favorite social activity, surpassing movies, lunch, shopping, and golf as preferred social activities.
There are a number of reasons why seniors may be attracted to gambling. For starters, casinos often cater to senior citizens, offering bus transportation, free or discounted meals, special rewards and other prizes that attract older individuals. In addition, gambling can provide a distraction to escape the loss of a spouse or a medical concern, or simply to help reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Contact the Maryland Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER for information and resources available in your area. If you're not sure whether you or a loved one has a problem with gambling, take this brief screening test from NCPG.
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