AARP Online Community: AARPSC - My Journals & Blogs

From the Greenville News - Senators Graham and DeMint block vote on HR 6331

www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article

Added: July 5, 2008
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Helping Older Drivers Improve Skills and Avoid Accidents and Traffic Violations

The AARP Driver Safety Program is the nation’s first and largest classroom driver refresher course specifically designed for motorists age 50 and older.

The eight-hour course is taught in two, four-hour sessions spanning two days, and costs $10. AARP members and non-members alike may take the course. There are no tests.

Upon successfully completing the course, graduates of the AARP Driver Safety Program may be eligible to receive a state-mandated multi-year discount on their auto insurance premiums.

Date: 07/9/08 & 07/10/08

Time: 9:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. both days

AARP South Carolina State Office

1201 Main Street, Suite 1280

Columbia, SC 29201

Please call: 803-765-7370 to reserve your spot, space is limited to 30.

Refreshments will be served.

The AARP Driver Safety Program Course

covers the following topics:

Vision and hearing changes

Effects of medication

Reaction time changes

Left turns and other right-of-way situations

New laws and how they affect you

Hazardous driving situations

Parking is included in the cost of the class

Parking Instructions:

Please use the parking garage located on Lady Street adjacent to our building. Parking permitted only on the 4th level and above. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor in the parking garage to enter the building. Please bring your parking ticket so it can be validated.

Added: July 1, 2008
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Here's to the first 50

Tuesday, July 1 marks the official day of incorporation for AARP. Happy 50th Anniversary, AARP!

Log on to www.aarp.org/events for related anniversary events including September's Life @50+ event and FOREIGNER at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach.

Added: June 30, 2008
Views: 19 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

Monday Musings - Payday Lending

Here is a link to an article from John O'Connor at The State on payday lending.

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/446694.html

Added: June 30, 2008
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Google News Alert for: AARP South Carolina

Is there money just waiting for you? Click here to find out <

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/532273.html>http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/532273.html>

Hilton Head Island Packet - Hilton Head Island,SC,USA Statewide, 88661 people can still claim the stimulus payment, according to Mark Hanson, IRS spokesman for South Carolina. The form required, the 1040A, ...

See all stories on this topic <

Added: June 25, 2008
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Lt. Gov. Kicks Off Public Hearings on State Aging Plan

Lt. Governor André Bauer kicked off the first in a series or three public hearings on the newest version of the State Plan on Aging today in the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Peeples Auditorium. The hearing offered the public an opportunity to review the Plan and comment on potential changes and improvements before the plan is signed and sent to the Administration on Aging in Washington D.C. in August.

The State Plan on Aging, which is updated every four years, is a blueprint for how South Carolina will serve the needs of seniors and use federal funds received through the Older Americans Act. The Plan incorporates information from a variety of sources including census data, senior forums, public input, issues identified by key stakeholders, and regional aging plans to help determine future needs of South Carolina’s aging population.

The Plan details how services such as transportation, congregate and home delivered meal programs, in-home care services and wellness programs will be administered and delivered so seniors can live independently longer. Under the current plan and funding 30,000 individuals receive services from Older American’s Act funding.

“In simple terms the State Plan on Aging is about families,” Lt. Governor Bauer said. “It is about the caregivers in support groups for families dealing with for Alzheimer's and dementia, the couple that goes to the senior center for a hot meal, the woman who needs help bathing and the widower counting on a home delivered meal for nourishment and human contact.”

Two more meetings are scheduled to be held in Greenville on July 8 and Rock Hill on July 9 to allow the public additional opportunities to review and comment on the plan in person. For those unable to make one of the three public hearings, the State Plan on Aging is available in its entirety on the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging website www.aging.sc.gov/forums where electronic comments can be posted.

For more information on the Office on Aging visit the website www.aging.sc.gov.

Added: June 20, 2008
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Bankruptcy Rates Rise Among Older Americans

AARP and Others Examine Bankruptcy Trends

Among Youngest and Oldest Generations

Washington, DC– With more than a million people filling for bankruptcy in 2007, a new study by Elizabeth Warren, a Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School who compiled the study for AARP’s Public Policy Institute (PPI) shows that the rate of bankruptcy filings among those 65 and older has more than doubled since 1991.

While the bulk of bankruptcy filers are in their 30s and 40s, the financial landscape for the oldest and youngest generations has changed considerably. Americans age 55 or older have experienced the sharpest increase in bankruptcy filings, jumping from 8.2% of debtors in 1991 to 22.3% in 2007. Those ages 34 or younger experienced the greatest decrease in bankruptcy filings, comprising nearly half (45.5%) in 1991 to just over a quarter (26.1%) in 2007 of all bankrupt debtors.

“Lower bankruptcy filing rates for younger people may be the result of healthier finances,” suggests Warren. “However, young people may be juggling debt longer before they take more extreme measures. If that is the case, we can expect to see more bankruptcies on the horizon as Generations X and Y grow older. Our culture has normalized debt. Now, individuals nearing or in retirement are realizing how difficult it can be to manage that debt as they age.”

Research found that by 2007, the median age for bankruptcy filers had increased to 43 years old in 2007 from 36.5 years old in 1991. A declining economy, increasing healthcare costs, and a general lack of retirement preparedness puts older Americans and their families at greater risk for bankruptcy and continued financial stress.

“This study is cause for concern,” said Susan Reinhard, Senior Vice President of AARP’s Public Policy Institute. “It indicates that financial security is progressively eroding for many older Americans. We are exploring why this is happening and what can be done to prevent it.”

Undoubtedly, the 2005 amendments to bankruptcy law – which changed what filing for bankruptcy looked like for Americans - curtailed filings early on and hold deep ramifications for the individual and research. While it is possible that changes to the law impacted various generations differently, bankruptcy’s rising rates among the older population reflects the increasing financial stress that so many Americans are feeling today.

To learn more about bankruptcy and view a copy of the report, please visit www.aarp.org.

Funding for this report was provided by AARP, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the University of Michigan Research Initiative Grant Program and the Harvard Law School Dean’s Fund.

Added: June 19, 2008
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From the Greenville News

From the Greenville News: Activists Target Hospital Safety by Liv Osby

www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article

Added: June 19, 2008
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Tuesday is Shreducation Day!

It's time to rid yourself of unwanted materials that may contain your personal information. Bring them to Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union locations at 2120 Sunset Bld in West Columbia or 2657 Clemson Road in the NE on Tuesday. From 9 - 1 and 3- 6 you can toss them into a shredder and feel safe about protecting your identity. For more information, go www.wach.com and click on community for Shreducation.

Added: June 16, 2008
Views: 56 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

Share Your Story

Do you have a hard time paying for insurance?

Are you struggling to pay off credit card debt?

Looking for a job?

Real people stories are important to AARP. Right now, we are looking for a person who has high credit card debt and struggling to make ends meet in today's economic climate. Email us at scaarp@aarp.org

Added: June 13, 2008
Views: 65 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

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