“On Dec. 31, 2016, 11 months from now, the number of adults age 60 and older will be greater for the first time in recorded history than the number of children age 20 and younger,” said David Stevens, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging. “There is going to be a sea change in terms of service, response and needs in many towns.”

As members of the Baby Boom generation age, Massachusetts needs to prepare for a major demographic shift, elder affairs experts say.

“On Dec. 31, 2016, 11 months from now, the number of adults age 60 and older will be greater for the first time in recorded history than the number of children age 20 and younger,” said David Stevens, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging. “There is going to be a sea change in terms of service, response and needs in many towns.”

COA directors, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and others have been routinely meeting to discuss the senior population’s current needs and plan for the future.

“The trends really should be alarming people if we’re not prepared,” said Alice Bonner, the state’s executive secretary of elder affairs. “We have this great opportunity right now to think about what our society and communities are going to look like 30 years from now.”

When reaching out to seniors, Bonner said she hears more about two concerns than any other: the price of healthcare and the price of housing.

While approximately two-thirds of the state’s $3.5 billion elder affairs budget is devoted to nursing homes, the Office of Elder Affairs offers many programs to help senior citizens address a variety of concerns. The office provides programs for nutrition, employment services, in-home care, family caregivers and more.

The state’s SHINE program provides counseling to help seniors with Medicare navigate the health insurance system.

Bonner also singled out Massachusetts Prescription Advantage, a state-administered prescription drug insurance plan, as a major service her office provides.

Another top priority, Bonner said, is “aging in place,” an effort to help elderly residents who want to stay in their own homes get the care they need without having to go to a nursing home.

There are congregate housing developments in 41 communities that provide short-term assisted living for qualifying seniors. Those facilities, Bonner said, may be used by low-income seniors who need assistance but want to eventually transfer back to living on their own.

“We’re working across other agencies, the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, to create new strategies to grow the workforce we need to take care of our aging communities,” Bonner said.

Councils on aging and senior centers across the state also offer a variety of services, including chronic disease management programs, insurance counseling, nutrition programs and help navigating the government benefits system. COAs can also often help connect seniors to fuel assistance or food assistance programs.

Local services, Stevens said, vary from one town to the next. The Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging advocates a regional approach, but many communities only provide senior services to their own residents.

“We can't service everyone with the current dollars we have,” Stevens said. “Communities are going to have to recognize that they’re going to need to put additional resources into senior services. I hope that legislators and municipal leaders recognize the importance of getting ahead of this issue and being proactive.”