How AARP is Working for You

Janet Armstrong, 63, joined AARP’s Ethel Circle Facebook community a year and a half ago to connect with other women her age. Now she's part of a group of women in central Tennessee who regularly meet for lunch and other activities.

Nearly 100 similar groups have formed in cities and states around the country since January. Known as The Ethel Gathering Groups, they are creating friendships out of virtual connections made as part of an AARP Facebook community for women 60 and older.

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It’s no secret: One of the best ways for older adults to stay financially secure is to keep earning money in the workplace.

And income is not the only reward that jobs may offer. Many people gain satisfaction from interacting with their colleagues, along with a sense of purpose that comes with using skills they have developed over many years. The contributions of experienced workers boost the entire U.S. economy.

Yet far too often, longtime employees run into a barrier that puts these benefits out of reach: age discrimination.

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Banks, credit unions and financial advisory firms are arming their employees with the information and training needed to recognize and stop financial exploitation before it happens.

This month, AARP gave 167 financial organizations our BankSafe Trained Seal, acknowledging their commitment to fighting financial exploitation, which costs older adults more than $28.3 billion a year in the U.S. (when factoring in cases that go unreported).

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Having enough nurses and nurse’s aides on staff is crucial to providing safe and high-quality care in nursing homes, research shows. That’s why AARP is fighting to ensure that a proposal to set minimum staffing levels for the country’s nursing homes moves forward.

We wrote to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee this week urging members to reject legislation that would block the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from finalizing proposed minimum staffing rules unveiled by the Biden administration last September.

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Ohioans have a new online tool to help them compare the quality of nursing homes in the state, thanks in part to AARP Ohio’s push for increased nursing home transparency.

“Ohioans deserve to have all necessary information and performance data in one place when selecting a nursing home for themselves or their loved ones,” AARP Ohio State Director Holly Holtzen said in a statement. “This online resource empowers them to easily research nursing homes in their area and feel confident they are making the right decision.”

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AARP wrote to federal lawmakers this month in support of two bills designed to help more Americans save for retirement through their jobs.

The Automatic IRA Act of 2024, endorsed by AARP Feb. 7, would expand retirement plan coverage to the millions of U.S. workers who lack an employer-sponsored retirement plan at work. The bipartisan Auto Re-enroll Act of 2023, endorsed Feb. 14, would allow plan sponsors to re-enroll their employees at least once every three years, unless the worker opts out. This would help more workers take advantage of their retirement plans and any matching funds from their employer.

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Residents in Oregon nursing homes and assisted living facilities who identify as LGBTQ+ have new protections starting this year, thanks to legislation supported by AARP.

The state’s first long-term care bill of rights for LGBTQ+ residents took effect Jan. 1 after being signed into law by Gov. Tina Kotek last July.

The legislation, which AARP Oregon helped pass, makes it illegal for facilities to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer older adults, or those who are HIV positive.

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All women will experience menopause, but many may not feel comfortable discussing it. Stigma and lack of awareness prevent some women from seeking treatment for troubling symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia or mood changes — and doctors may not discuss remedies with their patients. This can needlessly keep women from enjoying a high quality of life as they age.

AARP has endorsed bipartisan federal legislation that aims to increase menopause awareness, so more women have the information they need to help them through this inevitable life transition.

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