shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

September 27 is the ServiceNation Day of Action. As a big supporter of ServiceNation, AARP is excited to announce that we expect more than 3000 events all over the country. More than 100,000 people--and it could easily be more than 200,000--are expected to participate.

What will you be doing?

Rally your friends, grab your grandkids, and click here to find an event in your community.

I recently sat down with Alejandra to chat about Life@50+ and how truly amazing an event it was. I was on my feet everyday from morning until night, but not even being tired could keep me away from our fantastic members and some of the most fun I've had in a long while. Below are some excerpts from our conversation.

Alejandra: What were you most surprised by at Life@50+?
Jennie: Just how delighted so many attendees were with the organization and coordination with an event of this magnitude. They came up to me and just gave unsolicited comments of appreciation!

A: Did you meet any celebrities? Do you have a favorite celebrity moment?
J: Quincy Jones, Sally Fields, Richard Petty, Patty Austin, Martina Navratilova and Dr. Ruth. And it was great to meet Mickey Mouse!

A: Did you have a favorite event during Life@50+?
J: The Lincoln Memorial event which was both powerful and moving, It really helped us highlight the legacy of our 50 years and the vibrancy and timelessness of issues that drove Dr. Andrus to start our organization-and the issues continue to still need our leadership and advocacy today..50 years later!

A: Next year Life@50+ is in Las Vegas, is there anything you'll do differently next year?
J: Would most definitely spend more time on the floor to meet more members and attendees as well as our multitude of exhibitors.

A: What was your favorite member/attendee story?
J: The thrill of the entertainment of the evenings..so many people were just over the top happy to have seen and participated in the Natalie Cole, Ramsey Lewis, Chicago and Paul Simon concerts.

It was amazing to see members pounding the stage to exhort Paul Simon to return to the stage two times after the "last song". It was also fun to see some attendees with 4-6 shopping bags just filled with stuff gathered from the nearly 500 exhibitors.

Check out the picture of me on stage during our opening event! The room was pack with about 10,000 people!

As AARP does frequently, we surveyed some undecided voters and asked them where they stand right now with the candidates. The overwhelming majority (81%) of undecided voters say the debates will be important in deciding their vote, while most feel that they don't know enough about the candidates' economic and health care plans to decide yet.

The country will gather this evening to watch the first presidential debate, live from Oxford, Mississippi. To be sure, the economy will likely dominate the discussion in some fashion.

Given current issues facing the country, questions about the how our economy plays a role in the global community are absolutely on point. But we here at ShaarpSession would be remiss if we did not put in a plug for debate moderator Jim Lehrer to ask at least one question about the future of social security and how the candidates propose to strengthen our economy...older Americans are taking a beating right now.

One thing top on our minds here at ShaarpSession is how do the candidates think the current economic down turn will affect these entitlement programs?

We'll wait eagerly by the television set tonight to see what they have to say!

Studies are showing that there's been a huge spike in parents moving in with their children, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. And this goes for parents under 65 too:

The number of parents under 65 in these households increased by 75 percent, and those 65 and older were up 62 percent.

There's also been an increase in folks cohabiting with in-laws and siblings. While there a number of factors that could be behind this, researchers are saying a large reason could be the struggling economy and rising costs of living, which is forcing families to combine expenses.

Stephanie Coontz, director of research at the Council on Contemporary Families, also says that parents and children are closer than they were in the past. This can be a bad thing for what they call the "helicopter parent", who hovers too closely, but a good thing for parents and children developing close friendships in addition to child-parent dynamic.

While it's nice to think closer relationships are the reasons why more parents are moving in with their children, I don't doubt that the economic crisis in this country is a large factor as well. Regardless, giving back to your parents in this way is probably something many children do willingly and happily.

Well it's official. Summer is over and cooler weather is here to stay. As you work to dig your coat out from the closet and find your winter boots, here's something else to consider: getting a flu shot. With over 143 million vaccines produced this year, the government is urging more people than ever to get vaccinated. There is an especially large push to reach the 50-64 demographic, which rarely gets flu shots in the same numbers as children and the 65 and over crowd. With over 200,000 Americans hospitalized with the flu each year in the US, there's really no reason not to go in and get the shot.

September is here, which means all of your favorite shows are back in full swing. Well, it's time to add some to the list - AARP TV is back in business too, and our two shows, My Generation and Inside E Street, are not ones to miss.

My Generation is hosted by Greg Williams (who was on my favorite show The Wire, swoon!) and Emmy-nominated Cynthia Steele Vance, who feature a range of experts and stars every week who discuss a range of life issues, from money to relationships to health. If you're not convinced yet, the last episode's guest was Fran Drescher - need we say more? The show airs on Retirement Living TV at 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. (RLTV is available on DIRECTV 223, Comcast's CN8, and Verizon FiOS 216.)

Inside E Street is a wee heavier of a show, which tackles serious topics that effect older Americans today, such as Medicare and Social Security as well as tracks Congressional issues and talk about how they effect our communities. It's on Retirement Living TV at 3 p.m. Monday and Friday (so you won't miss your My Generation!).

So make sure to check out the new season and get your weekly fill of AARP TV!

The New York Times reported on a new study showing that a lack of vitamin B12 intake can result in brain shrinkage for older adults.

The research study consisted of 107 individuals aged 73 who all had MRIs to measure their brain volume along with blood tests checking their B12 levels. And low and behold, the group with the lowest levels of vitamin B12 lost twice as much brain volume as those with the highest levels. Now that's a big difference.

Yet David Smith of Oxford and lead author of the study says that this doesn't necessarily mean we should be running to the vitamin store; they're waiting for results from a clinical trial which will find out definitively if vitamin B12 actually does prevent brain shrinkage.

We'll keep you posted!

A new study shows that older Americans are the top purchasers of environmentally friendly products.

According to a survey conducted by ICOM Information & Communications, women aged 55-59 are more than twice as likely as the average consumer to use green products. Meanwhile, men aged 65-69 are 1.7 times as likely to use green goods.

ICOM's Peter Meyers says that younger buyers are still "green" -- "that is," he says, "inexperienced when it comes to engaging with environmentally friendly goods."

Indeed, somewhat counter-intuitively, the survey finds that "Of those who said they do not use environmentally friendly products, both male and female demographics age 25-34 years were among the 'least likely to use' when compared with the national average."

Remember life before the Internet? If you're 50+, like I am, you do. But you're not reminiscing the good old days. You're increasingly going online to research healthcare choices, manage your finances, plan your retirement and vacation, buy baseball tickets and groceries, and socialize with family, friends, even strangers, by emailing or blogging.

Life online brings great rewards and risks, particularly to our personal privacy. To help you stay safe online and protect yourself, AARP and Google have created a series of online consumer safety videos that you can watch on the Google Privacy Channel on YouTube and on AARP.org's online safety page.

Our videos offer tips for using passwords safely, enabling firewalls, shopping and sharing information wisely, and avoiding online scams like phishing and other ploys.

While you can't eliminate every risk, these tips can help you reduce the chance your personal information will be hijacked. Whether you're searching for doctors, dates, limousine drivers, or donut shops with online search engines or simply surfing the web for fun, our videos will help you be smart and protect yourself.

I hope you'll use our new online consumer safety videos and share them with family and friends!

Here are a few tips from our videos that I hope that you'll follow:

• Firewalls are your friend: They ensure that only trusted servers interact with your computer. Be sure your firewall is enabled.


• Passwords are key: Make them easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess. Never use social security numbers, birthdates, addresses or other easily found information.


• Acronyms get A+: Use a phrase you can't forget - like I Bought My Car in 2005 - and use the acronym, IBMCI2005, as a password.


• Beware of public computers: When accessing websites in your public library, a government office or friend's house, never click on a "Remember me on this computer" prompt.


• Inoculate your pc against viruses: Use anti-virus and anti-spy ware software and always keep them up to date.


• Be savvy when shopping and sharing: The Internet is an easy way to share emails, photos, and blog posts. But use the sharing controls provided by the service you're using. For example, when using AARP's photo-sharing service, use sharing controls to ensure that your family vacation photos stay within your family.

And as always, don't forget to check for daily updates on all the latest news you can use on both AARP's blog, ShAARPsession and the Official Google Blog. Have fun, and stay safe!

You're not alone if you feel like your job is killing you, but you should know it doesn't have to be like this. AARP has just released its list of Best Employers, rating these employers on criteria including: recruitment, opportunities for career training, workplace accommodations, alternative work options, health benefits, and benefits for retirees. These are the kinds of jobs that offer people great flexibility and the kind of care that can actually improve the quality of your life. Maybe you wouldn't dread getting up in the morning if you worked for one of these employers. How's that for a change?

New research paints a grim picture for adults who provide care for their parents. The combined stress from a job, caring for children and also your parents can eventually carry over and negatively impact quality of life. Caregivers often see health consequences in their own lives as a result of the time they dedicate to caring for their parents. Good news though, having a spouse and a higher education seems to reduce stress levels. You can also visit aarp.org for caregiving tips.

AARP.org has a featured article that might not the most pleasurable for your Friday, but is a necessary one to be read. "Going Hungry in America" addresses the harsh reality that many older Americans are facing at a time when food and energy prices are sky-rocketing:

Today, the federal government counts 10 percent of Americans 65 and older at or below the poverty line. But that number may hide a harsher reality, some economists say.

Certainly more are struggling to stay afloat. According to a recent AARP survey, 60 percent of Americans 65 and older are having a tougher time paying for food, gas and medicine. More than 10 percent have been forced to turn for help to families or charities.

Not only are people going hungry, but are cutting back on medicine, which is just not acceptable. You must read the whole article, it's a big wake-up call, and a stark reminder of the crisis that we're all facing.

After our continual hard work to keep you informed on the latest news and stories that are important to you, we've gotten some love for ourselves. One of aarp.org's many services is helping 50+ workers find jobs for second or continuing careers. Our partnership with retirementjobs.com has enabled us to provide a great service to those in the 50+ community looking for a new job and recently, Fortune Magazine recognized this tool as a quality resource for the older worker. They even gave some recognition to our humble blog.

Steven P. Smith is our DWF Champ of the Week

Divided We Fail is proud to recognize Steven P. Smith, from Boston, as this week's DWF "Champ of the Week". Steven posted an encouraging message on our Divided We Fail Facebook Fan Page, where he calls on America to "work to assure health and financial security for all."

Thanks Steven for your commitment to DWF and for being an engaging member on our social network pages!

You too could be named Champ of the Week by joining the active discussions on our Facebook and MySpace fan pages! The lifeline of this initiative depends on raising millions of voices and making sure our political leaders hear what America has to say... so get talking!

TAGS: Divided We Fail, DWF, Facebook, MySpace, Steven P. Smith, Boston, health care, financial security, social network, Champ of the week, Champ, politics

We were thrilled to have the great sexpert Dr. Laura Berman speak at our AARP Life@50+ member event in D.C. last week, and thought we'd spread the love online. AARP.org has a great article featuring Dr. Berman answering 10 questions to help make love and sex better as you age. Some of the good doctor's wise words on keeping a happy and healthy sex life:

Making it a priority! Too often older people think that great sex is no longer possible...but it is! People can have great sex lives no matter what their ages, as long as they are willing to commit to making it important in their lives.

I second that! The idea that sex isn't for older folks is just bogus; as she also mentions in the article, the older you are, the better sex can potentially be because of increased comfort with yourself and more experience. After all, practice does make perfect!

For more info about the lovely Dr. Laura and her books (one was a New York Times bestseller!), check out her bio.