shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

Defamer’s on it, so is Showbiz Tonight. Here are some highlights from an interview with Jack Nicholson in the upcoming AARP Magazine…

On falling in love again: “I can’t hit on a girl in public like I used to. I never thought words like undignified would come into my own reflections on myself, but I can’t do it anymore…I feel uncomfortable. I don’t think anybody cares what I do in these areas, but it feels a little bit off to me.”

On Sex at Age 50+:“I’m trying to not eliminate sexuality from over-50 literature. People don’t want to know that Dad or Grandma is over there kootching it up a little bit. These things should be put in balance.”

“Viagra. My initial feeling about it was that this could save marriage. Obviously Till death do us part is in there because someone knew you don’t go through any relationship exactly the same way every day, day after day.”

Check out the full interview online January 24th.

Marketwatch: More employers seeking 50+ workers

AARP is adding three federal government agencies and six private companies to its list of employers looking to hire people 50 and older for a variety of full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs, the group announced Thursday.

USA Today: Reverse mortgages aren't for everyone

"It's a generational shift," says John Rother, policy director at AARP. "Our parents' generation saw the home as a bedrock of security, and it was a good deal to pay off the mortgage and own it free and clear. Many boomers, on the other hand, are treating the home as a financial asset and are using it to borrow against its value."

AP: Nicholson Says He's Looking for Love

"I never minded being a fool for love," the 70-year-old Oscar winner tells AARP The Magazine. "It's nice to have a place to be foolish. Ask any old friend of mine, they'll say, `Jack's pretty smart, but in this area the man is beyond the pale. Don't ask him anything about love. Or if you ask him, don't listen to him.'"

New York Times: Health Care Could Sway Nevadans

But with the Nevada caucuses coming Saturday, little seems to concern people here as much as health care. The state has an unusually high number of people with no insurance, doctors are hard to come by, Medicaid reimbursements are low and health care safety nets are eroding.

It’s January, at least two more months of winter. What’s the best way to pass the time? Movie watching of course! Check out AARP’s Movies for Grownups, a guide to some of the best movies of the year, with some interesting categories. The big winners were The Savages with Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman for Best Movie for Grownups; Chris Cooper won Best Actor 50 and Over honors for his under-the-radar performance as a CIA spy in Breach; Julie Christie was named Best Actress 50 and Over for her spellbinding turn as an Alzheimer’s stricken woman in Away From Her; and Tony Gilroy was honored as best director for his complex tale of corporate greed, stricken consciences and murder, Michael Clayton.

Check out the entire list, but here's some of the more unusual highlights include:

Best Movie for Grownups Who Refuse to Grow Up: Enchanted: This story of an animated princess stuck in real-life New York city is both cute and cutting edge.

Best Intergenerational Movie: The Namesake: In this cultural portrait, two parents from India raise their children in the suburbs of New York and find that their traditions clash with the U.S. culture. Both sides eventually awaken to a comforting understanding: where we’re from, and where we live, are always trumped by who we are.

Last night, Michael Douglas was on the Late Show with David Letterman, talking about his new role as the announcer as The News with Brian Williams. Check it out here and find out the backstory on the deal, which was forged at Life@50+. Also, Douglas shares with the audience what he learned while in Boston – one in four voters are members of AARP. Thanks for the reminder Michael!

There's a new, interesting website called Big Think that is working to build a discussion online about the issues of the day - the broken health care system, baby boomers, the state of the political system, you name it. They have interviewed a bunch of different folks, including AARP CEO Bill Novelli to talk about this stuff. What is really cool is that the videos are timely, capturing today's issues and offering anyone the opportunity to interact and react. It's an interesting evolution of technology and public discourse, so check it out.

A dispatch from Jason Merritt of AARP Florida. Yesterday he was at Florida Atlantic University, where things are gearing up for next week’s Presidential debates:

Divided We Fail volunteers and those interested in the campaign have used many forms of transportation to get to events; car, bus, train, plane...and now, skateboard? Two Florida Atlantic University students rolled up to a recent informational gathering at the campus Starbucks on skateboards. At the same time, just down the hall, AARP volunteers sat in on policy sessions to discuss health care and social security with students.

It was part of a day of activities with aRock The Vote rally on campus; free food, music, coaches and players from the FAU football team speaking about the importance of voting. We had a table and were collecting pledges and handing out side-by-sides plus CHAMP buttons. It was in their main breezeway with various student organizations and groups each having an informational table.

After a day of talking to 1000 plus students, I was happy not to have to skateboard home.

The New York Times editorial board has an interesting blog posting about one of the ways we can start lowering health care costs. It's a fancy term - comparative effectiveness - but it essentially means giving people the ability to research medical treatments to determine which one gives us more bang for our health care buck.

It's a good idea considering that we already know our costs aren't rising because people are getting older; they're rising because of pricey new technologies and services. Why not find out which of those are really worth the sticker price before we pull out the checkbook?

USA Today: How do you make a lump sum of your life's savings last?

"When you're facing retirement, and you're feeling desperate (because you haven't saved enough), you're more apt to fall for those too-good-to-be-true pitches," says Jean Setzfand, director of financial security for AARP, the advocacy group for those over 50.

USA Today: Will aging boomers lose benefits?

Baby boomers grew up skeptical of authority, so it's hardly surprising that some of them doubt the government will deliver the full Social Security and Medicare benefits it has promised.

Marketwatch: Health care is personal for presidential candidates

Americans have a vested interest in where the presidential candidates stand on health-care reform and how their health proposals are evolving ahead of the general election.

AP: Study: Online Privacy Concerns Increase

Privacy concerns stemming from online shopping rose in 2007, a new study finds, as the loss or theft of credit card information and other personal data soared to unprecedented levels.

Reuters: HMOs will be mainstay in Medicare for years

"The overpayment issue is a big one and I'm certain it won't go away," said David Certner, legislative policy director at AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons.

Newhouse: Digital TV Transition May Take Seniors By Surprise

There are education efforts, said Jo Reed, Washington-based AARP's national coordinator for livable communities and consumer issues, but without considerable financial backing, such endeavors are unlikely to provide vital personalized and technical help.

USA Today: Older baby boomers caught all the breaks

In a generation as sprawling as the baby boomers, you're bound to notice some big differences. And the main difference is probably this: The older boomers, exemplified by the 62-year-olds who will start retiring this year, occupy a demographic sweet spot that most younger boomers can't match.

New York Times: A Promising Way of Containing Out-of-Control Medical Spending

The conventional wisdom, however, is wrong. The aging of the population has relatively little effect on the tremendous projected rise in federal spending on health care, as the graph below (from the cover of a recent report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office) shows.

An update from Stepheni Schlinker of AARP Michigan, where they are running around crazy on primary day:

AARP Michigan State President Eric Eric Schneidewind was in the Citadel Broadcasting studio from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. this morning with the morning news show host – Michael Patrick Shiels – and right away, Shiels told Eric that Mitt Romney was “calling into the show in 5 minutes,” and said he wanted Eric to ask Mitt a question from AARP. So, there was a little witty banter between Shiels and Romney about his dad being Governor of Michigan in the 60s and then he introduced Eric and told Romney that he wanted to ask a question on behalf of AARP. Eric told Romney about DWF and asked, “What is the plan for ensuring the future solvency of Medicare?” Romney started with saying that “we need to reign in the growth and cost of Medicare” and then used his Massachusetts health plan example.

Following the Romney piece, Eric was able to talk extensively about DWF, specifically keying in on the importance of financial security and affordable, quality healthcare. They talked about why our members are more likely to vote (experience, they see the difference leaders can make, why having a good leader is important to the future of our children/grandchildren, etc.). He explained that AARP does not endorse specific candidates and encouraged voters to visit www.dividedwefail.org to check out where the candidates stand on DWF issues such as affordable health care, social security, Medicare, financial security and breaking Washington gridlock.

A dispatch from my colleague, Jeff Johnson, in Florida, who is tracking the candidates across the Sunshine State:

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani was two hours late to events in Sarasota and St Pete. We had people in the front row of both stops. Because a couple of us got to the St Pete stop late, we were locked out in Florida cold weather (aka 50 degrees). It worked out though...when his bus finally pulled up, we it let him out right where we were standing, so the first things he saw were Dived We Fail signs.

At the deli across the street from the event, Huckabee and McCain volunteers stayed warm (!) while waiting for a meeting that ultimately never happened. The McCain people had volunteered in New Hampshire and knew immediately who we were and said they saw us everywhere up there. They were excited to see us in Florida too. The Huckabee people said they had all signed the Divided We Fail pledge and were glad their candidate had too.

Giuliani made it to his last stop in Lakeland at an ice cream parlor at 9:30, saw two Divided We Fail volunteers up front, poked one in the chest and said "AARP." It was his sixth stop of the day and he'd seen red shirts at all six.

But the Naked Cowboy sighting still tops the day. That and this little vignette of 21st Century campaigning: Rudy is on the bus in Clearwater, he stands up to put on his coat, and the TV on his bus (turned to Fox News) starts a story on Rudy campaigning in Fort Myers earlier in the day. So Rudy puts down his coat, sits back down, and watched an interview of himself conducted on the bus he's now sitting in. After the segment he gets back up, puts the coat on, and comes out to meet the chilled but rowdy crowd at the rope line.

USA Today: Early retirees try to fill gap in health coverage

Some early retirees who lack employer coverage "are just hanging on until they're eligible for Medicare," says David Certner, director of federal affairs for AARP. "Either they can't afford (health insurance), or they can't get it. They're hoping nothing happens before they hit age 65." About 16% of individuals 50 to 64 are uninsured, AARP says.

The Street: Just Put It on My 401(k) Debit Card

Critics contend use of the cards risks depleting already skimpy retirement savings. "Big picture: it just takes us out of the context of a 401(k) loan being a loan of last resort," says Jean Setzfand AARP's Director of Financial Security. "Seeing what we see, [with retirement savings] not quite where we want to see it, we're just afraid that this is going to deplete it further."

USA Today: Husbands should consider delaying Social Security benefits

This year, the oldest baby boomers are turning 62, making them eligible for Social Security. About half of those boomers are expected to claim their benefits as soon as they're eligible, even though that means a permanent 25% reduction in benefits.

National Law Journal: Debunking stereotypes

No other single law has done more to debunk the "myths of the worn-out worker," as a one-time AARP writer put it, than the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

I try to keep up with the important birthdays and today’s a big one… the Smurfs turn 50! Yes, the lovable blue cartoon characters are now eligible for membership in AARP. Although you have to wonder Papa Smurf’s real age.

Some new research coming from both ends of the political spectrum point out that the American health care system is broken. The Urban Institute has a new report that says 27,000 Americans died in 2006 because they didn't have health insurance. Meanwhile, The Commonwealth Fund is reporting the U.S.---which spends more on health care than any other nation---ranks dead last in preventing avoidable deaths among the industrialized world. We're spending more and people are getting less. If researchers on both sides agree isn’t it time we see some action from the politicians?

More fun from Stepheni Schlinker, Associate State Director for Communications for AARP Michigan:

Nearly 2,000 Lansing, MI-area residents packed the Big Ten Room of The Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University to listen to presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain speak at a rally on Sunday, January 13.

Among the attendees were 15 Divided We Fail volunteers, including five members of the MSU Democrats, who graciously offered their time to help promote the Divided We Fail campaign by wearing red Divided We Fail tee shirts and carrying Divided We Fail signs.

The rally kicked off with a short speech from Cindy McCain. On stage, behind Cindy McCain, sat a large group of sorority sisters from MSU’s Kappa Alpha Theta chapter. They were asked to be on stage for the event because Cindy McCain was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority when she attended University of Southern California.

McCain spent most of his time talking about Michigan’s lagging economy and the need for alternative energy. He said he believes Michigan can lead the way in green technology and helping the United States reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Additionally, McCain he would support community-college based training programs for Michigan’s many displaced workers.

“We are going to give them another chance,” McCain said. “We are going to be what America is all about and give them the education and training not to go back to an old job, but to come back for a new job and one that will earn them more money and be more satisfying and will contribute to the challenges that this nation faces.”

The DWF volunteers at the event could be seen in several different shots on the 11 p.m. local news in Lansing on all of the major networks – ABC, FOX, CBS and NBC. Overall it was a great showing for Divided We Fail.

In Michigan, AARP Associate State Director Stepheni Schlinker, is criss-crossing the state tracking the Presidential candidates. Here's her weekend dispatch:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spent several hours in Grand Rapids, MI on Saturday, January 12, starting the day at 8 a.m. with a prayer breakfast with about 100 pastors at the Amway Grand Hotel, focusing on social issues. Immediately following the prayer breakfast, also at the Amway Grand Hotel, Huckabee told a crowd of approximately 600 people about his modest upbringing in Hope, AK and about his father, who held two jobs to support their family. Several Divided We Fail volunteers attended the rally.

“I understand the workers in this state,” Huckabee said. “I can see the fear in their eyes. They know that any day could be the day when they are told their jobs are headed to Mexico or the Middle East, and when that happens they will wonder how they are going to put food on the table.”

He also talked about industries building tanks and planes during World War II, pointing out President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to the state as “the arsenal of democracy.”

"Michigan helped save America, and now, America needs to help save Michigan,” he said.

Huckabee told the crowd that if he were elected president Michigan would get help from training programs for displaced workers and fair-trade policies protecting employers and consumers.

He closed the rally by picking up a bass guitar and joining students from the Belding, MI High School jazz band to play “Mustang Sally,” reportedly one of Huckabee’s favorite songs.

USA Today: Boomers' eagerness to retire could cost them

David Certner, director of federal affairs for AARP, doesn't think that retiring boomers will suffer cuts in benefits, either.

"We think Social Security benefits, particularly for those at or near retirement, are well-financed and will be there," he says.

BusinessWeek: Starting a Business Instead of Retiring

About 20% of the entire over-50 workforce in the U.S. is self-employed, and one-third of those workers made the transition to self-employment after turning 50, according to a 2007 RAND Corp. study commissioned by AARP. Switching to entrepreneurship is one way retirees stay active, says Deborah Russell, the AARP's director of workforce issues. But she says people must know what they're getting into: "For those who have not done this before, they may have a false expectation that working for yourself also means less stress and less demand, and it may be in fact the exact opposite."

USA Today: State lawmakers wrestle with abusive lending

The people targeted for complicated high-interest loans have expanded from first-time minority homeowners and low-income elderly to include middle-class borrowers, AARP attorney Nina Simon says.

"There are extraordinary numbers of these (cases) all over the country, says AARP lawyer Jean Constantine-Davis, who handles many of the complaints that come to the advocacy group for retired people.

Wall Street Journal: The New Recruits: Older Workers

Employers who ignore older workers now will suffer as boomers near retirement age, says Melanie Cosgrove Holmes, a vice president at Manpower. By 2012, nearly one in three U.S. workers will be over 50, according to AARP, a group for people age 50 and older. "Progressive companies that are looking ahead...are the ones that are going to be most successful," Ms. Holmes says.