AARP Archives - Read. Think. Act.

AARP Veterans Outreach on Your Need to Know

(August 7, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Michael D’Ostilio and Donna Newman-Robinson, ambassadors for the Veterans Outreach program for AARP.

In the first segment of the show D’Ostilio talks about how the outreach program can assist veterans in finding the resources they need as they age. He points out that Virginia has a large veteran population. Approximately 726,000 veterans live in the area, with about two-thirds of them over the age of fifty. The AARP Veteran outreach program aims to help those who have served our country.

Veterans can face unique challenges that stem from their service to our country. AARP recognizes these differences, and has created the ambassador program to help navigating everything from healthcare to caregiving to transportation. For example, they have a program called Home Fit, which helps veterans adapt their home for aging in place.

D’Ostilio points out that AARP also offers a variety of presentations programs on everything from brain health to de-cluttering, in an effort to assist veterans through the aging process. They also offer assistance to family members when it comes time to have the difficult conversations about putting a plan in place in order to ensure their loved one’s safety. There are resources on a variety of topics, including benefits related to the VA, Medicare coverage, safe driving, ensuring finances are taken care of, and maintaining their homes.

In the second segment, Catherine speaks with Donna Newman-Robinson, a retired Army nurse, who is now a professional coach. She works with veterans to help them figure out their next steps in life. After spending 20 years of her life serving in armed forces, she intimately understands the challenges of ending a military career.

Her coaching is based around the theme of “the next mission is you”. As people are living longer and staying employed, she helps them navigate this terrain, and find meaningful work after their military service. She looks for opportunities to facilitate more partnering with veteran service organizations, with the goal of connecting people to the resources that they need to thrive.

by Rachel Simon

Medicare with Ridge Multop of AARP

(Oct. 3, 2018) Catherine Read sits down with Ridge Multop, community ambassador with AARP, to discuss information regarding the Medicare program. October through December is open enrollment season, and it is important for seniors to understand the ins and outs of the system before committing to a plan.

President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law 53 years ago. At the time the country was facing a healthcare crisis. Many seniors were living longer than ever before, and were unable to secure medical coverage from private insurers, due to their age or their preexisting conditions. The Medicare system was established as a safety net in order to provide hospital and outpatient care to all Americans over the age of 65. This original program is known as Medicare parts A and B.

Establishing Medicare was a huge undertaking, and critical to providing a safety net to seniors in America. Legislators recognized, however, that there were gaps in coverage. Therefore, they established Medicare Part C plans (also known as Medicare Advantage plans) as an option for seniors. These plans are sold by private insurers, and are designed to complement Medicare parts A and B. These are supplemental plans that seniors can purchase for additional monthly payments. More recently, Medicare Part D was created in the early 2000’s. This program specifically targeted the rising cost of prescription drugs, in an effort to make medications more affordable for the elderly. Multop points out that there are still certain benefits that are not covered through Medicare, including vision, hearing and dental care.

Forty-eight million Americans are covered through the Medicare program, with a total cost topping $680 billion dollars. As people are living longer and the baby boomers age into the program, the rising rolls will increase the costs to maintain Medicare. Multop points out, however, Medicare is not an entitlement. It is a benefit program that people have paid into their entire working life. As expenses increase faster than funding, the Medicare trust fund is projected to run dry by the mid 2020’s, unless changes are made to sustain the program.

Multop shares that today, 75% of the funding for Medicare comes out of the general treasury fund, combined with the payments from the monthly premiums. If the President and Congress fail to come up with a funding formula that will sustain the program, than the result will be premium increases.

In the most recent AARP Bulletin, Multop note that there are three critical questions that voters need to ask their Congressional candidates before heading to the polls this November:

Do you believe that Medicare should be cut to reduce the deficit? (follow-up question can be should Social Security be cut to reduce the deficit?)
Do you prefer converting Medicare to a voucher program?
What changes would you make to ensure that people will continue to get the promised Medicare benefits that they have earned?

Lastly, Multop wants people to know that Medicare recently sent out new cards to all members in April through June of 2018. The old cards contained social security numbers, which put people at risk of identity theft. If you did not receive a new card, contact your local office to get a replacement. He also shares that Medicare will never ask you for a social security number anymore. If you encounter someone requesting this information, it is most likely a fraudulent scam. Should you need help or assistance with understanding Medicare or Medicaid benefits, he encourages people to reach out to the Virginia Insurance Counseling Assistance Program (VICAP). They are available to work with Virginia residents to help understand the various benefits and programs.

by Rachel Simon

AARP 60th Anniversary with Historian Lily Liu

(Aug. 22, 2018) Catherine Read sits down with Lily Liu, Historian Emerita at the AARP, to discuss the life and legacy of Ethel Percy Andrus, Ph.D. (1884-1967), founder of the organization. (Until 1999, it was known as the American Association of Retired Persons.) As AARP marks its 60^th anniversary in 2018, Liu shares important information about the history of the organization and the inspiration she finds in its founder.

Born in 1884, Ethel Percy Andrus was a schoolteacher and made an enormous impact, one student at a time. Upon retirement, she offered her volunteer services as a welfare coordinator in her home state of California. She was shocked when she met so many seniors who were living in poverty, asserting that nobody who works their whole life should have to suffer in this way. A turning point was when she met a retired schoolteacher who was living in a chicken coop because they could not afford their own home. This drove her to found the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA). She worked collectively with the state associations to bring them together to form a Federation that successfully advocated for better pay, retirement and health benefits.

Many seniors, who were not schoolteachers, reached out to Andrus during that time and asked if they too could join her federation. Unfortunately, they could not because they were not teachers. It did give her the idea to create a broader organization catering to seniors, which led to the birth of the American Association of Retired Persons organization in 1958. 38 million members strong, AARP is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to representing the interests of seniors nationwide. Each state has its own office to support their residents, and Virginia’s AARP headquarters is located in Richmond. A wealth of resources can be found on their website, including premier events, travel opportunities and volunteer jobs that need to be done in the community.

The three pillars of the AARP organization are independence, dignity and purpose. Jim Dowd, Executive Director of the Virginia AARP, works tirelessly day in and day out to advocate on Capitol Hill in Washington, as well as in the halls of the Capitol in Richmond, to ensure that the needs of seniors are well represented when legislation affecting them is being crafted. AARP advocates on issues such as healthcare for seniors, sustaining livable communities, aging in place and everything in between.

Lui reminds us about the importance of having Ethel Percy Andrus as a role model. Andrus began her journey to help seniors upon retirement from a long and successful teaching career. She gave equally as much to the world in her role as an advocate and champion for seniors, as she did to the children she taught in school. She had a vibrant, rewarding and fulfilling life in her “encore years” and serves as an inspiration for all of how to carve out meaning in the chapter of life that begins after retirement.

by Rachel Simon

AARP Speakers Bureau – Suba Saty

(Mar. 28, 2018) Catherine Read speaks with Suba Saty, facilitator for the AARP Speakers Bureau in Northern Virginia. The Speaker’s Bureau is a wonderful benefit for AARP members, as the discussion topics are wide and varied, and provide a rich resource of information. Saty is in charge of finding speakers and matching them with organizations and programs in the community.

Presentation topics include everything from understanding Social Security and Medicare, to the 5 Pillars of Brain Health, to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft. The AARP website offers a full listing of upcoming talks, along with locations and registration information. AARP has recently forged a partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Center (OLLI), which is a part of George Mason University. Other speaking engagements take place at community centers throughout Northern Virginia, as well as in churches, synagogues and mosques. Anyone can request a speaker, but Saty notes that due to high demand they normally schedule engagements about 3-4 months out in the future. Speakers are also available to participate on panels for local conferences.

The Bureau is always looking for qualified volunteer speakers. If you have a specific expertise and are interested in getting involved, you can apply online to be vetted through the state office of AARP in Richmond. Once the application process is complete, the local Fairfax Bureau can be in touch to talk about how you can lend your specialized knowledge to local members.

In addition to the speaker series, AARP also has other local programming available to members. The driver safety course is given throughout the year, and can result in a small discount on car insurance premiums. AARP also offers year-round Tax Aid advice free of charge, and a Voter Engagement Program.

Several times throughout the year AARP will sponsor academies at local community centers, where there will be an entire day of programming featuring multiple topics. In June there will be a mini-academy at Walter Reed Community Center in Arlington and on September 8^th the OLLI institute will host an all day seminar. Please visit the website for more details and registration information. You can also signup to get newsletters and email updates. You can also find AARP Virginia on Facebook and Twitter (@AARPVa)

by Catherine Read

AARP – We Want to Know – Voter Engagement Program

(Oct. 11, 2017) Catherine Read talks with AARP Community Ambassador Berniece Courtenay about a new program called “We Want to Know” which was created to foster greater voter engagement. Virginia is one of only two states with an off-year Governor’s race in 2017. Along with Lt. Governor and Attorney General, there are also 100 seats in the House of Delegates on the ballot this year.

Berniece Courtenay talks about her journey to becoming an AARP Ambassador and the many volunteer opportunities available right here in our local community. Many people have a very narrow and one dimensional view of the AARP organization. There are thousands of AARP volunteers spread out across the country, and many volunteers here in Virginia. One of the core missions of AARP is education, and related to that is advocacy around issues affecting their members.

The AARP We Want to Know voter engagement program is using social media to encourage voters to reach out to the candidates running for election in 2017 to ask questions about the issues they care about. They are using Twitter to encourage people to submit questions to @AARPVa and also their Facebook page to highlight their “Flat People” device for encouraging people to write down their questions for candidates and post them on social media platforms. They are using the hashtag #WW2K

Catherine points out the reluctance some people have of asking their question in a public forum even when the opportunity is created, as it was during the NoVIE Forum for both gubernatorial candidates. Those specific voter questions are central to making candidates aware of what a particular community, or region, is concerned about. It also highlights very specific issues that may not be part of a candidate’s talking points or stump speeches.

According to Virginia’s AARP State Director, Jim Dau, “We Want to Know amplifies the voices of Virginia voters so that candidates have to listen – and respond – to their concerns.”

Virginia voters can send their questions to candidates via @AARPVa on Twitter, post questions to AARP’s Facebook page, visit the We Want to Know – Virginia website and also find links to statewide candidates social media pages at http://states.aarp.org/va-candidate-links/

by Catherine Read

Center to Champion Nursing in America – Inside Scoop

(Feb. 6, 2017) Catherine Read interviews Winifred V. Quinn, PhD, Director of Advocacy & Consumer Affairs for the Center to Champion Nursing in America. The CCNA is a collaborative effort of the AARP Foundation, AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Quinn talks about the hurdles facing Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNPs) in providing healthcare services in each of the 50 states. Requirements differ from state to state as far as physician oversight/collaboration with CNPs in the services they deliver to patients. States with rural populations have been the first to remove barriers to nurses providing services “to the full extent of their education and training.” More recently, the Veterans Administration has created a policy that allows nurses to provide services to the full extent of their education and training through VA facilities regardless of restrictions in place within individual states.

In the second segment, Catherine is joined by Andrea Brassard, PhD, RN, and Senior Strategic Policy Advisor to the Center to Champion Nursing in America. Dr. Brassard still engages in providing clinical nursing services on a limited basis in addition to assisting in CCNA’s policy creation. She brings a unique perspective to the benefits and challenges of allowing Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNPs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to provide a full spectrum of healthcare services for which they have been trained. She points out that Nursing is consistently ranked as the No. 1 “Most Trusted Profession” in the United States and speaks to the varied skills nurses bring to their profession.

David DeBiasi, Associate State Director of AARP Virginia, joins Catherine in the third segment to talk about how the Affordable Care Act influenced modifications to the physician oversight requirement of Certified Nurse Practitioners here in Virginia. Instead of moving forward, Virginia’s policy moved “sideways.” The tweak to the policy has not allowed CNPs to practice to the “full extent of their education and training” and the resulting consultative/collaborative model has created a business model that doesn’t work for CNPs. While CNPs are required to collaborate with a physician in delivery of healthcare services through file reviews, physicians are not required to collaborate with CNPs. This has created instability in these relationships that undermines the creation of a viable business model.

Ultimately, the delivery of healthcare services in areas where there is a shortage of General Practitioner Physicians relies on removing barriers to nurses practicing to the “full extent of their education and training.” This realization that friction points are impacting the delivery of healthcare services have spurred states across the country to develop and pass less restrictive policies. Virginia currently does not have pending legislation in the 2017 Legislative Session. Going forward, it’s in the best interest of the public to understand these issues and why it’s important to advocate for nurses who will ultimately provide the bulk of the care for an aging American population.

Nursing is increasingly moving from clinical settings to community settings. Baby Boomers started hitting 65 in 2011 and will continue to hit that benchmark in enormous numbers through 2026. These are savvy consumers who fully expect to “age in place” in their homes and not in institutions. Quality of care for this growing population of Americans hinges on less restrictive policies for CNPs and APRNs and supporting healthcare models that are financially feasible for nurses to deliver healthcare in a variety of settings that meet the consumer’s needs.