The United States House of Representatives has passed critical health care reform legislation that would strengthen Medicare for seniors and end discrimination by insurance companies that prices millions of Americans out of affordable health coverage. 

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers has begun studying whether Tennessee should create a Department on Aging and Adult Services that could streamline the fragmented system now in place.

A story by The Associated Press on the committee's first meeting was aired and printed in media outlets across the state, including WTVF and The Knoxville News-Sentinel.

AARP Tennessee Advocacy Director Patrick Willard told committee members during the first meeting that older Tennesseans in need of state services currently face ``a bewildering bureaucracy of overlapping agencies, duplication and fragmentation of services.''

Some nine state departments and agencies now provide services for older and disabled Tennesseans. Putting that all under one roof could better serve consumers and taxpayers, Willard said.

``It is clear from the budget projections and forecasts that our state government will be spending less and cutting services as it grapples with lower revenues this year and in the future. By focusing our efforts on giving the consumer choices, and reducing the duplication of services, we can streamline the system and make it more efficient.''

He pointed to a 2003 study by the state Comptroller that said ``having multiple providers leads to fragmented services; clients may be overlooked and unserved. Making the entire long term care system more streamlined could help to free up resources to eliminate waiting lists and provide services for those who qualify.”

The season of giving has begun.

We know that you're focused on giving to others, but AARP Tennessee wants to help you give a gift to yourself and to your community.

Give yourself a day - December 8 - AARP's Day at the National Civil Rights Museum!

FREE admission to this Memphis historic landmark is our gift to you. Come tour the museum, meet AARP leaders and learn more about how we can all Create the Good and give back to our communities.

Space is limited, so register TODAY by calling 1-877-926-8300.

For questions or more information, email us at tnaarp@aarp.org.

Also, check out AARP Tennessee's Facebook page to find out what our volunteers are doing throughout the state to make their communities a better place to live in and age with dignity.

What would it take to make Kingsport a more livable community, one that allows residents of all ages and abilities to live comfortably and safely in their neighborhoods? AARP wants to know and share the findings with community leaders.

Read a story in the Kingsport Times-News about the survey, which has been mailed to some 3,000 AARP members. Other residents of the Greater Kingsport Area can pick up copies at the library from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 29 or download a copy here.

“The information will be a part of the public domain. We hope to have a huge kickoff and share it with everyone,” said AARP Tennessee President Margot Seay. “A lot of times, people really don’t give thought to future planning and how comfortably they can age in a community. This is a program to create awareness of the need to make our community, lives and houses more livable by focusing on that before we actually have the need.

“It’s exciting and even more exciting what will come out of it,” said Seay, a Kingsport resident and key supporter of the community survey.

Several of AARP's top Memphis leaders are featured in photos with a Commercial Appeal story about the 2009 Sickle Cell Walk, which raises money and awareness about the disease.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain an abnormal type of hemoglobin. Sometimes these red blood cells become sickle-shaped and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels. When this occurs, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue not receiving a normal blood flow becomes damaged, resulting in lung damage, causing acute chest syndrome, pain episodes in the arms, legs, chest and abdomen and possibly strokes. It also causes damage to most organs, including the spleen, kidneys and liver. There is no cure.

AARP Tennessee helped sponsor the event as part of its focus on health issues, healthy behavior and community service. Several AARP volunteers and staff members joined in the event. What a great way to Create the Good! 

The Tennessean's opinion page - devoted to the travails faced by older workers who've lost their jobs - prominently features a column by AARP Tennessee Executive Council member Fred Fields, titled ``Society loses when seniors go jobless.''

The Tennessean's own editorial, which cites AARP research, is titled ``Older Americans should be valued on the job.'' The page also featues a column by Sandra Nathan with the National Council on Aging about the impact of filing for early Social Security benefits.

Need a flu shot? Want to check your blood pressure? How about your cholesterol levels? Are you at risk for diabetes? Would you like to answer those questions for FREE?

Just keep an eye out for the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour bus. It's coming to Nashville on Sunday and will be in the area through Oct. 26.

Not only can you get $140 worth of free health screenings and a voucher for a free flu shot, you can also get a one-year AARP membership or renewal for free.

The first stop is Sunday - from noon to 6 p.m. - at 518 Donelson Pike in Nashville. The next day, the bus will be in Bellevue at 7601 Highway 70 South. And if you want to combine your $140 worth of free health screenings with a little fun, just wait until the following weekend, when the bus will be at the ``Music and Molasses Arts and Crafts Festival'' at the Tennessee Agricultural Museum on Hogan Road. 

For more information on the Nashville-area tour stops, go to the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour web site  or call 1-866-484-TOUR (1-866-484-8687).

Anyone can be a victim of identity theft. But the Shelbyville Times-Gazette profiles a couple savvy enough to act on their suspicions, likely saving them thousands of dollars and months of headaches:

When a man claiming to be a representative of Medicare asked Richard Barnes, 81, about his health, the Shelbyville resident didn't think much about it. He answered the questions, but began to grow suspicious, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette reports.

When the caller asked for his Medicare ID number, Richard's wife, Edna, called Medicare on her cell phone."That's your Social Security number," she said. "He kept insisting and insisting we give him the number." Once she got in contact with Medicare, however, their suspicions were confirmed. "They said Medicare does not solicit by phone or door-to-door," said Edna. "He was just trying to get my husband's Social Security number."

To read more, visit the Shelbyille Times-Gazette's web site. To get tips on preventing identity theft, visit AARP's web site.

A story on WZTV Fox17 by Cindy Carter focuses on the need for homes that are accessible for Tennesseans of all ages and abilities. Jeanette and Jim Canavan bought a condo in Lebanon that's a certified EasyLiving Home. 

AARP is pleased to see builders like Goodall Homes construct houses that allow us to live comfortably and safely as we age. And AARP worked hard on the new law that will restructure the state's long-term care system so that more money is spent on home and community-based care, allowing folks like the Canavans to remain in their condo instead of moving to a nursing home if they need help.

Right now, 98 percent of our federal long-term care money goes toward institutional care, but that will change as the long-term care Choices Act is implemented next year. AARP also is working with federal lawmakers on providing more money to states that are focusing their resources on home and community-based care.