Reviving Long-Term Care Services in New Mexico: A Step Toward Holistic Support
The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD) is seeking $1 million to reactivate its dormant Long-Term Care Division as part of its 2025 budget proposal. This move is expected to revitalize community-based and caregiver-supported services for residents who fall just outside Medicaid eligibility.
New Mexico Senior Care: Why Revive the Long-Term Care Division?
The Long-Term Care Division has remained inactive for years after transferring its Medicaid waiver programs to other departments, leaving critical support services lacking. To resolve this, ALTSD plans to relaunch the division and has requested a $5.7 million total budget for 2025. Out of this, $1 million will directly fund staffing and operations for the division’s revival.
ALTSD will bring key programs under the Long-Term Care Division’s management. These include Adult Protective Services, the Veterans Service Program, New MexiCare, and the Alzheimer’s and Dementia program. These initiatives focus on creating a seamless continuum of care, allowing older New Mexicans to live at home and remain active in their communities instead of relocating to nursing facilities.
New MexiCare, a standout program, supports aging in place by training caregivers and providing financial assistance. Although it currently excludes Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties, ALTSD intends to expand the program statewide by July 2025.
“We are building a true continuum of care,” said ALTSD Secretary-designee Emily Kaltenbach. “From prevention to intervention to long-term care, we’re working to make the system complete.”
These plans, if executed, will improve life for older adults and their caregivers across New Mexico.
Supporting a Growing Aging Population
The department’s broader $5.7 million budget request reflects New Mexico’s demographic reality: by 2030, the state will have the fourth-highest percentage of older adults nationwide.
The budget includes:
- Five full-time ombudsman positions.
- Aging and Disability Resource Center staff.
- Contractual services to enhance the call center, which fields 200 calls daily.
- Updates to IT systems, emergency preparedness, marketing, and volunteer programs.
- Expanded support for the Kiki Saavedra Senior Dignity Fund, providing food access, transportation, healthcare, and case management.
Rural counties, where the majority of older adults reside, remain a primary focus. Kaltenbach emphasized, “We have more work to do, and our budget reflects this need. 2030 is only five years away.”
New Mexico Aging: Toward a Holistic Future
With the reactivation of the Long-Term Care Division, ALTSD aims to close existing service gaps, create statewide program equity, and address the challenges posed by New Mexico’s growing aging population. This investment promises to create a sustainable continuum of care, ensuring older adults across the state receive the support they need to age with dignity.
