March 2026 Newsletter

Service Navigation at Connecticut’s five Area Agencies on Aging delivers an essential lifeline to older adults and individuals with disabilities across our state. Each year, Service Navigators provide thousands of hours of information, assistance, person-centered counseling, and care management—helping residents access the support they need to remain safe and independent in their homes.

By design, Service Navigators work with individuals who face the greatest challenges: those with complex needs, limited resources, and the highest risk of “falling through the cracks.” Through hands-on interventions, including application assistance and enrollment support, Navigators have helped countless older adults avoid unnecessary nursing facility admission. These outcomes not only preserve independence and dignity for consumers—they also generate significant savings for Connecticut’s Medicaid program, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The need for Service Navigation continues to expand as Connecticut’s median age rises. People are living longer with more chronic conditions. Service Navigators can get to those in need and their caregivers earlier, often avoiding the higher cost of crisis care.

Older adults, caregivers, municipalities, and community partners increasingly rely on our agencies to help them navigate a fragmented and often overwhelming system of services.

For this reason, AgingCT has requested continued funding for the five Service Navigator positions currently supported by federal ARPA dollars, which will be exhausted in July 2026. Sustaining these positions is critical to ensuring that older adults and their families can access timely, accurate, and personalized guidance. Bipartisan support from our CT legislators is crucial to our efforts.