"Caring for Your Parents" on NET Radio and NET Television March 31-April 2

LINCOLN, Neb. (March 21, 2008)-- From March 31 through April 2, NET Radio and NET Television are combining to present "Caring for Your Parents," a project featuring a locally produced four-part public radio series and national television documentary.

As the population ages, many adults are grappling with an unprecedented social, economic and personal revolution as they transition into the primary caregiver role for their aging parents. With family members now responsible for 80 percent of eldercare in the United States, nearly every generation is feeling the ripple effects of the aging process.

The four-part NET Radio series looks at the challenges faced by families with younger children and older parents, the "sandwich generation." It is scheduled to air at 6:33 and 8:33 a.m. CT Monday, March 31; Tuesday, April 1; and Wednesday, April 2, during "Morning Edition." It will conclude Wednesday, April 2, at 4:40 p.m. CT during "All Things Considered."

NET Radio visits the Bernhager family in Wayne and the Rosentrader family in Mason City near Broken Bow and offers stories about the caregiving strategies these two families use. A third report explores the situation of remote caregivers, those who are caring for parents who live very far away. NET Radio visits Gail Armstrong of Papillion whose parents live in Good Samaritan Village in Hastings. The fourth story will gather a group of seniors in O'Neil to talk about caregiving issues from the older generation's point of view.

An audio link to each day's story will be on NET Radio's Web site (www.netNebraska.org/radio and click on Nebraska News) the day of its broadcast. All that is needed to listen to the report is access to the Internet and a free Windows Media Player program.

The PBS special "Caring for Your Parents" airs Wednesday, April 2, at 8 p.m. CT on NET1 and NET-HD. It repeats on NET2 on Friday, April 4, at 6 p.m. CT and Saturday, April 5, at 7 a.m. and 12 noon CT.

The first 90 minutes of the television program looks at the caregiving process through the experiences of five American families from varying cultural and economic backgrounds. The documentary exposes struggles to keep parents at home, shows the impact of caregiving on marriages and reveals the financial repercussions of eldercare. Through the stories of these families, viewers glimpse the emotional and physical effects of caregiving that often go unnoticed. Heartbreaking stories explore the decision to stop driving, loss of independence and friction between caregivers and medical professionals.

Immediately after the 90-minute documentary, medical correspondent Dr. Art Ulene leads “A Conversation About Caring.” This half-hour panel discussion offers concrete advice and guidance on how to start the conversation -- often the most difficult step in caregiving. The panel of experts includes Newsweek columnist Jane Bryant Quinn; best-selling author of "Passages," Gail Sheehy; AARP Publications editor-in-chief and co-author of "Caring for Your Parents: The Complete AARP Guide," Hugh Delehanty; renowned physician Dr. Cora Christiansen; and leading eldercare expert Dr. Bill Thomas.

A list of local eldercare resources and more information about caregiving will be available at pbs.org/caringforyourparents. Following the April 2 broadcast, the television documentary and follow-up discussion will be available, free of charge, on that Web site.

NET received grant funding to undertake a variety of outreach activities across the state with partners including Nebraska AARP; Nebraska Caregiver Coalition; the Lincoln Area Agency on Aging; CIMRO of Nebraska (the state's Medicare Quality Improvement Organization); and the Nebraska Aging Enrichment Coalition. Caregiver resource fairs and screenings are set for Omaha, Hastings, Lincoln, Scottsbluff, Columbus, Fremont, and York. In addition, a live theatrical presentation on aging issues will be presented in several communities.

NET1, NET2 and NET-HD are part of NET Television. NET Radio and NET Television are services of NET. For more information about NET Television or NET Radio, visit www.netNebraska.org.

RELEASE WRITTEN BY: Deb Miller, (402) 472-9333, ext. 353, or e-mail at debmiller@netNebraska.org

NET Radio: Broadcasts on the following frequencies: Alliance/91.1 FM; Bassett/90.3 FM; Chadron/91.9 FM; Columbus/90.3 FM; Culbertson/92.7 FM; Falls City/91.7 FM; Harrison/89.5 FM; Hastings/Grand Island/89.1 FM; Lexington/88.7 FM; Lincoln/91.1 FM; Max/93.3 FM; Merriman/91.5 FM; Norfolk/89.3 FM; and North Platte/91.7 FM.

NET Television: NET1 is Nebraska's first public television broadcast service and includes PBS and award-winning, locally produced public television programming; NET2 offers live coverage of the Nebraska Unicameral, and other news and public affairs programming; NET3 is a 24-hour channel featuring the most popular how-to, travel and lifestyle series; and NET-HD presents high-definition digital broadcast programming displayed in a wide-screen format.

AARP Nebraska Selects

2008 Legislative Priorities

Association seeks increase in aging services funding;

Measures to lower RX drug costs, protect consumers against fraud and ID theft

LINCOLN—AARP Nebraska today announced that expanding critical funding for aging services, curbing prescription drug costs in the state’s Medicaid program and strengthening consumer protections against unfair trade practices and identity theft are the association’s leading legislative priorities in 2008.

“AARP is committed to maintaining a strong network of community aging services to help older Nebraskans live independently and prepare for what has been described as an approaching tidal wave of demand for in-home, long-term care services,” said AARP Nebraska State Director Connie Benjamin. “We’re also supporting passage of legislation that dramatically reduces Medicaid spending on prescription drugs and protects consumers from becoming victims of fraud and identity theft.”

The following measures top the association’s 2008 advocacy agenda:

• AARP is seeking an amendment to LB 959 (appropriations) to increase next year’s budget for the Community Aging Services Act (CASA) by $7.5 million. CASA funds Nebraska senior centers, home-delivered meals, transportation, in-home care and other services that help frail older adults continue to live at home. These services are suffering from funding shortages, causing people to be placed on waiting lists and good workers to leave for jobs that pay better wages.

• LB 830 would save the state’s Medicaid program nearly $5 million a year in prescription drug costs by establishing a preferred drug list (PDL) and joining a multi-state purchasing pool to negotiate lower prices with drug makers. (A PDL is a list of recommended drugs generally chosen for effectiveness and price).

• LB 781 would help curb unfair and deceptive trade practices, such as the unscrupulous marketing of private Medicare Advantage plans to older Nebraskans. Some salespeople use deceptive tactics to sell the often-confusing health plans, with consumers reporting widespread marketing abuses throughout the state.

• LB 831 improves the 2007 security freeze law by reducing the fee consumers must pay to freeze their credit reports from $15 per credit reporting agency to $5. It also eliminates the automatic 7-year expiration date for security freezes.

For more information, contact Devorah Lanner at (402) 323-5425 or Mark Intermill at (402) 323-5424.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole.  We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, www.aarp.org.  AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors.  We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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PAPILLION—AARP Nebraska is pleased to announce that Papillion-La Vista South High School has been selected for the $10,000 Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation. 

“We believe that it is important to celebrate our commitment to future generations and our organization’s historic ties to the education community,” said AARP Nebraska State Director Connie Benjamin. “AARP is proud to make this award to Papillion-LaVista South High School in honor of our founder, the first woman high school principal in the state of California.”

The award recognizes the school’s Titan Pyramid Program, which has made impressive gains in academic achievement in a short amount of time by embracing a philosophy of not allowing students to fail.

“The Titan Pyramid has played a major role in helping the school meet its ultimate goal of maximizing student achievement for all of our students, all of the time,” said Dr. Enid Schonewise, Principal of Papillion-LaVista South High School.

“Students are held accountable, teachers provide high expectations and ultimately the system works as we have witnessed some profound changes. We have seen our failure rates go down in all core areas and our ACT scores, PLAN test scores, state writing scores and grade point averages increase in each of the last two years,” she continued.

The award is named for AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. Prior to founding AARP, Dr. Andrus achieved broad recognition as a creative and innovative public high school educator. She was the first woman appointed to lead a public secondary high school in California, where she developed and implemented a variety of innovative programs that served the interest of both the students and the community.

Papillion-LaVista South High School is one of 53 public high schools in all U.S. states and territories selected to receive a total of $1 million through the legacy awards. The award was established as part of AARP’s 50^th anniversary celebration in 2008.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Aging Advocates Urge Legislature:

Invest in Community Aging Services

AARP seeks $7.5 million budget increase

LINCOLN—Severe funding shortages, burgeoning caseloads, good workers leaving for better jobs and long waiting lists for community-based aging services mean that too many Nebraska seniors lack the support they need to live independently and avoid far more costly nursing homes.

That was the message aging advocates and seniors brought to the State Capitol today in an effort to find more state dollars for aging services. The Community Aging Services Act (CASA) funds Nebraska senior centers, home-delivered meals, transportation, in-home care and other services that help frail older adults continue to live at home. Amidst deepening concern over shrinking resources for these programs, AARP has put forth a budget-neutral plan requesting an additional $7.5 million for next year’s CASA budget.

“AARP believes that community aging services represent an investment in the future of Nebraska,” said Mark Intermill, advocacy director for AARP Nebraska. “These services help older Nebraskans stay healthy and live independently. As a result, they have saved the general fund millions of dollars in avoided Medicaid costs on nursing home care.”

Intermill noted that community aging services are at a critical juncture and cannot be sustained at current funding levels. In 2006, the number of people served dropped due to budget cuts, while the number of nursing home residents covered by Medicaid increased for the first time in this century.

“We see a clear connection between investing in aging services and containing Medicaid costs,” he said. “Community aging services need more funding to remain viable and to continue delivering the positive results they have proven they can deliver for older Nebraskans as well as for the taxpayers of Nebraska.”

Nebraska’s eight area agencies on aging, which administer CASA programs, lack the resources to meet current needs, let alone a coming surge of demand for in-home, long-term care services for an aging population. The oldest baby boomer will turn 65 in 2011, while the entire growth of the state’s population for the next 30 years will comprise people over age 65. “Nebraska needs to be preparing for this demographic reality,” Intermill said.

Directors representing area agencies on aging agreed that obtaining the extra funds will determine which services they can continue to deliver and how many people they can serve.

“Many aging individuals in our service area live in small towns or villages or in remote areas of the county, isolated from goods and services.  It is extremely difficult to serve those individuals, both because of the cost of delivery and because of the lack of funds to adequately pay in-home service providers,” said Diane Fowler, executive director of the Midland Area Agency on Aging in Hastings.

“If we believe that we can judge a society by the manner in which it treats its senior citizens, then we must believe in providing the funds to help them live with dignity,” she concluded.

June Pederson, executive director of the Lincoln Area Agency on Aging, said her agency has faced significant cuts in revenue from local sources, leading to the closure of senior centers, higher requested donations for senior meals, unfilled staff positions and cuts in preventive health and caregiver assistance programs. She said that adding $3 million for community aging services would provide a sustainable increase for area agencies across Nebraska.

“We would use the added funding to support an important program that educates older adults about exercise, nutrition and the value of making lifestyle changes that prevent chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease,” Pederson said. “We could also add to our care management staff and reduce our waiting list for services, improving the lives of older Nebraskans as they age in place.”

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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole.  We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, www.aarp.org.  AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors.  We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.