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Results of AARP National Spelling Bee held in Cheyenne

AARP National Spelling Bee for 50+ "word nerds" won by Virginian

National event held in Cheyenne, Wyoming each year for spellers age 50 and older

Posted June 22, 2009

AARP crowned Michael Petrina Jr., 64, of Arlington, Virginia, the winner of the AARP National Spelling Bee, June 20. Petrina won the championship by correctly spelling “woad” and out-spelled 45 other spellers from more than 25 states who competed in the record-breaking Bee that lasted 46 rounds.

Petrina and runner up Scott Firebaugh, 55, of Knoxville, Tennessee, battled each other for 30 rounds to determine the winner.

The Bee was held at the Little America Hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Gil Couts, 66, from Bigfork, Montana finished third. A full list of finalists can be found online at http:// www.aarp.org/spellingbee .

“We’re thrilled that so many people from across the country came out for this year’s competition and we want to congratulate Michael for coming out ahead of the pack,” said AARP Wyoming Director Tim Summers. “Our Spelling Bee has continued to grow in popularity since it was created by AARP members 14 years ago, and the cognitive and social benefits of exercising your mind as you age make all of today’s participants winners.”

The AARP National Spelling Bee began with a 100-word written spelling test in the morning, narrowing the field to the top 16 spellers who advanced to the afternoon’s oral spelling rounds. Spellers were allowed to miss three words in the oral rounds before being knocked out of the competition.

The AARP National Spelling Bee was created in 1996 by a group of Cheyenne AARP members who wanted to challenge the 50+ community to keep their minds sharp as they age. It is open to anyone age 50 or older, except previous winners, and is supported by Merriam-Webster Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, Taco John’s Foundation, Franklin Electronic Publishers, the Cheyenne Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wyoming Network, Inc., the Cheyenne Women’s Civic League, and the Laramie County Library System.

Registration for next year’s Bee, scheduled for June 19, 2010, is open at www.aarp.org/spellingbee or by calling 1-877-926-8300 .

“It’s great to see so many people dedicated to keeping their minds sharp and taking on the challenge of participating in the Bee,” Summers said. “We hope to see even more spellers compete in next year’s AARP National Spelling Bee.”

The top 10 finishers in this year’s AARP National Spelling Bee were (tied spellers are listed under the same number):

1. Michael Petrina Jr., 64, Arlington, VA

2. Scott Firebaugh, 55, Knoxville, TN (round 46)

3. Gil Couts, 66, Bigfork, MT (round 16)

4. Marlene Harry, 57, Brownsburg, IN (round 13)

5. Deborah George, 56, Livermore, CO (round 11)

6. Dr. Norman Zucker, 62, Sebastopol, CA (round 10)

7. Joan Saxton, 67, Sausalito, CA (round 8)

7. Carolyn Dickmann, 65, Richmond Heights, MO (round 8)

8. Kate Karp, 60, Long Beach, CA (round 7)

8. Dr. Kent Stockton, 67, Riverton, WY (round 7)

8. Joseph Dickmann, 65, Richmond Heights, MO (round 7)

8. Mary DeForest, 62, Denver, CO (round 7)

9. James Sherry, 57, Troy, AL (round 6)

10. Ed Dorschel, 60, Enumclaw, WA (round 5)

10. Lucy Morales, 57, Washington, D.C. (round 5)

10. Kathryn Pulver, 51, New York, NY (round 5)

Added: June 22, 2009
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50+ Hispanic Workers May Help Solve Future Labor Shortages

But Many Older Hispanics – the “invisible” Boomers – Face Workplace Challenges

Washington, DC – Older Hispanic workers can play a dynamic role in helping solve long-term challenges for many employers, as the traditional labor pool of workers ages 25-54 stagnates, according to a new AARP report, being released today at AARP’s Diversity and Aging conference in Chicago.

That is a key finding of the AARP study that focuses on the so-called “invisible” Boomers – Hispanics – as a growing segment of the U.S. workforce. Despite their growing importance, there has been little public and media attention given so far to older Hispanics.

“Once the recession ends, employers may face a scarcity of working age adults with the necessary skills and experience,” said Deborah Russell, AARP’s Director of Workforce Issues. “Hispanics are one of the fastest growing segments of the older population, and they can help in a big way in filling the void.”

The AARP study was prepared by the Urban Institute, using Institute data and drawing on information from the Census Bureau, the Department of Labor and the University of Michigan as well. The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California provided recommendations for the report.

Some of the major statistical findings of the study that are relevant to Hispanics’ work careers are:

In 2006-2008, 15 percent of Hispanics ages 50-69 reported work disabilities, compared with 24 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 14 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

Approximately 3.2 million Hispanics ages 50-69 were employed in 2007, earning a total of $126 billion.

At age 65, Hispanic men and women can expect to live three years longer than non-Hispanic whites and four years longer than non-Hispanic blacks.

Noting that the number of Hispanics ages 50-69 is expected to nearly quadruple by 2050, AARP focused on employer practices to increase the employment prospects of older Hispanics. They include:

Develop recruiting materials in English and Spanish if an employer is open to hiring workers who are not fluent in English.

Use media outlets and other recruiting channels that serve the Hispanic community.

Implement retraining programs to help older workers in physically demanding jobs transition into positions that require less physical exertion.

Consider offering educational opportunities to workers and job seekers who are good matches for certain career opportunities but who lack a few skills. Such training could include English-as-a-Second language and skill training, the report suggested.

Consider training for managers that encourages them to embrace workplace diversity and stresses the value that diverse viewpoints can provide an employer.

For more findings on the older Hispanic workforce, including differing statistics on foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanic workers, please see the full report at http://www.aarp.org/research/work/employment/hispanic_workers_09.html

The AARP conference, Diversity and Aging in the 21st Century: The Power of Inclusion, brings together experts in the fields of diversity and aging to examine the challenges facing our diverse aging society. The conference offers hands-on experience, in-depth discussion, networking opportunities and continuing education credits for counselors, social workers, nursing home administrators and other professionals. Details are available at www.aarp.org/diversityandaging .

Added: June 8, 2009
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AARP Analysis Debunks Generic Drug Myth

Association presses Congress to bring less costly generics to market faster

A new analysis by AARP’s Public Policy Institute reveals the manufacturers of many top-selling biologic drugs have recouped average research and development costs several times over in the past six years, often within a single year. The report’s finding busts the myth that allowing generic versions of biologic drugs will undermine further development of these breakthrough medicines.

Unlike traditional chemical drugs, biologic drugs are made from living organisms. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no process in place to approve less costly generic versions of biologics, which can cost thousands of dollars each month.

AARP’s analysis of ten top-selling biologics finds these drugs have had U.S. sales of between $5.5 billion and $14.9 billion since 2003. The average development cost for a new biologic drug is $1.2 billion, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. All of the drugs examined more than recovered the average development cost of a biologic drug in just three years of sales between 2003 and 2005.

“For more than 20 years, generic versions of chemical drugs have given Americans access to safe, inexpensive treatments for their health problems without hindering scientific innovation,” said AARP Executive Vice President John Rother. “With more Americans taking biologic drugs for relatively common diseases like cancer and multiple sclerosis, it’s time to bring affordable generic biologics to the market.”

AARP is telling lawmakers that a process to approve generic biologic drugs must be a part of comprehensive health reform. The Association has endorsed the “Promoting Innovation and Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act” (H.R. 1427/S. 726), which would create a process for the approval of generic biologic drugs. This bill would prevent generic competition from entering the market for the first five years after a new biologic drug is approved, providing a common-sense balance between encouraging innovation and increasing access to these life-saving medicines.

Rother added: “This bill is a win-win both for biologic drug makers and for those Americans with the most desperate medical conditions who are struggling to afford the medicines they need.”

A competing bill, the “Pathway for Biosimilars Act” (H.R. 1548), would force consumers to wait twelve years before being able to purchase the lower cost generic version of their medicine.

AARP’s report, “Biologics in Perspective: The Case for Generic Biologic Drugs,” is available at http://www.aarp.org/research/health/drugs/fs155_biologics.html.

For details on AARP’s health reform priorities, visit http://www.aarp.org/governmentwatch.

Added: May 21, 2009
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AARP Announces Specific Goals for Health Reform

May, 4, 2009

Today, AARP announced six specific elements that must be part of health reform, including closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap and ensuring 50- to 64-year-olds have access to affordable health care choices. AARP members and activists were the first to learn about the announcement when the organization posted its goals on its Government Watch website this morning.

“The next few weeks will be an all-out blitz for health reform,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “As leaders on Capitol Hill hammer out the details of their legislation, we want to make sure they include the priorities that we’re hearing from our members. Any final package must include these critical issues.”

AARP’s health reform campaign will focus on six critical priorities:

1) Guaranteeing access to affordable coverage for Americans age 50-64;

2) Closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap or “doughnut hole”;

3) Creating a Medicare transition benefit to help people safely return to their homes after a hospital stay and prevent costly hospital readmissions;

4) Increasing federal funding and eligibility for home and community based services through Medicaid so older Americans can remain in their homes and avoid more costly institutions as they age;

5) Creating a pathway for the approval of generic versions of biologic drugs to reduce the price of these costly treatments; and

6) Improving the Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low Income Subsidy (LIS) so more Americans can afford the health care and prescription drugs they need.

Tomorrow, AARP President Jennie Chin Hansen will participate in the Senate Finance Committee’s roundtable on health coverage. Four AARP members from states represented by members of the Senate Finance Committee will visit Capitol Hill to discuss with their Senators the struggle of getting and affording health insurance, particularly for people 50 to 64. AARP will also be distributing to the entire Congress booklets of its members’ personal stories—real life experiences that put a human face on why their priorities should be included in any health care reform legislation.

Beginning today, AARP is launching a month-long television and print advertising campaign. The ads use personal stories to communicate the priorities of AARP members to lawmakers in Washington. The campaign will include full-page ads in the Capitol Hill publications CongressDaily, The Hill, Politico and Roll Call, as well as television ads on Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, Meet the Press and This Week.

AARP will also leverage the power of its state offices across the country over the coming weeks, with events to build support behind comprehensive health reform. Among the events, AARP New York will co-host a health fair to highlight the need for health reform, including coverage for people 50 to 64. Reps. Jason Altmire and Kathy Dahlkemper will join the AARP Pennsylvania office for a town hall meeting, and Rep. Frank Pallone will host a tele-town hall meeting to discuss health reform with New Jersey AARP members.

LeaMond added: “Whether it’s on Capitol Hill, in their district offices or in the media, our lawmakers will hear from AARP this month. We’ve been working for more than two years to set the stage and the time for health reform is now. We’re excited about the work happening in Washington to address the needs of older Americans as a part of comprehensive health reform.”

For details on AARP’s health reform campaign, visit www.aarp.org/makeadifference/advocacy/GovernmentWatch/HealthCare/.

Added: May 4, 2009
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WY Workforce Services wants 50+ aged mentors; will pay stipend

Wyoming Department of Workforce Services seeks 50+ aged mentors:

Earn extra income while sharing your experience with others

Retirement is something to look forward to, but in retiring some find they have extra time on their hands and they may be looking for ways to help their community and supplement their retirement income. The LIFT Mentoring Program is the perfect fit for both.

LIFT, or Life Improvement for Today, is a mentoring program sponsored by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. The program's aim is to help individuals who are currently receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families by providing them with a mature, retired mentor to offer advice and guidance.

Mentors are paid and receive all the necessary tools for success in the program. Mentors must be at least 50 years old and need to be active listeners willing to ask challenging questions while remaining accessible and approachable. The program is aimed at retiring Baby Boomers who are looking for a flexible, part-time schedule to supplement their incomes and who wish, at the same time, to give something back.

Mentors also should be willing to share their personal and professional experiences to assist protégés with their decision making skills and problem solving. With the combination of mentoring and counseling LIFT plans to make a positive impact on the lives of those who are trying to better themselves and their community.

The Department of Workforce Services is currently seeking mentors. If you are interested, please contact Brad Westby, Industry Partnership Manager for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, at (307) 777-2971 or bwestb@state.wy.us. The online application can be found at www.wyomingworkforce.org/lift.

More information about the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services is available at wyomingworkforce.org or by calling 1-877-WORK-WYO.

Added: April 28, 2009
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Join us for a spell at the AARP National Spelling Bee June 20

Test your skills against some of the best spellers in the country while you compete for more than $1,000 in gifts and prizes at the AARP National Spelling Bee, June 20, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Bee is open to anyone age 50 or older, except previous winners.

“Whether you enjoy reading the dictionary to keep your mind sharp or you just want to meet other like-minded adults, the AARP National Spelling Bee always proves to be exciting and highly competitive,” said the Bee’s word wizard Brian Greene.

The AARP National Spelling Bee features two rounds of competition. All of the spellers compete in a 100-word written spelling section. The top 15 spellers advance to the oral spelling rounds where spellers are allowed to miss three words before being knocked out of the competition.

“Some spellers have told us that they enter the bee because they had performed well in a spelling bee when they were younger, and they want to test themselves again.” Greene said. “What they realize is that a lifetime of learning and reading has made them a much better and more confident speller.”

Held at Cheyenne’s Little America Hotel and Resort, which offers discounted rates to spellers and their guests who call 1-800-445-6945, the Bee costs $25 to enter. Spellers may register online at aarp.org/spellingbee through June 14.

Additional events will be held on Friday, June 19 for spellers and their guests. More information is available at aarp.org/spellingbee or by calling 1-866-663-3290.

Added: April 14, 2009
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Challenge Issued in Wyoming: Walk 30 Minutes Today

A stroll around the block is the order of the day in Wyoming. It's the American Heart Association's "Start Walking Day," today, with the goal of helping people lose weight and improve their overall health. AHA president Dr. Timothy Gardner, a heart surgeon, says the sedentary lifestyle most people live comes with a personal price tag.

"We need to make people aware that lack of physical activity in their lives is contributing to conditions that are going to cause them to have heart problems and set them up for stroke."

Dr. Gardner says the idea is to incorporate more walking into what people are doing every day to make it easier to meet the goal.

"Instead of driving two blocks to the store, walk those types of distances. Instead of parking right up next to the door, park on the other side of the parking lot."

Wyomingites are being asked to walk 30 minutes today and every day, and Dr. Gardner says it doesn't have to be 30 minutes all at once – ten minutes three times a day will improve heart health, too.

Added: April 8, 2009
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Health Department Helps Wyoming Smokers Quit Expensive Habit

With recent dramatic increases in the cost of cigarettes and other tobacco products, Wyoming Department of Health representatives are reminding Wyoming smokers and spit tobacco users who want to quit that help is available.

A jump from .39 cents to $1 a pack for the federal tobacco tax on each pack of cigarettes began April 1, on top of price hikes passed on by most tobacco companies last month. The federal tax on each pack of cigarettes sold in Wyoming is now $1, with the state tax remaining at .60 cents. The tax and price increases also affect products such as chewing tobacco.

A pack of Malboro cigarettes now costs $5.25 in a typical Wyoming store, with the price for a carton at $52.50. A Wyoming resident who smokes a pack a day can expect to spend more than $1,900 a year on cigarettes.

The Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program, which is part of the department’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division, offers low-cost cessation medications and free supportive services such as counseling to help smokers and spit tobacco users quit. Interested residents can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or log on to http://wy.quitnet.com to enroll in the program.

“Quitting tobacco is not easy. Through either the phone line or web site, tobacco users who want to stop can find help tailored to their personal needs,” said Kathi Wilson, tobacco cessation coordinator for the Wyoming Department of Health.

The Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program is the only state program offering all forms of nicotine replacement therapy, including nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine lozenges, Wellbutrin, Zyban, Bupropion, nicotine inhaler, nicotine nose spray and Chantix.

Wilson noted residents must call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to receive cessation medication vouchers, but free counseling services are available through both the phone line and the Quitnet web site.

Added: April 7, 2009
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Help Fight Investment Fraud in Wyoming

Buyer Beware: There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Especially at Tax Time

We all are often bombarded by junk mail; unwanted phone calls during dinnertime, and, in many cases, with “free lunch” investment seminar invitations. This is particularly true during tax season when the invitations promise no risk investments and ways to avoid all taxes.

Although many of these seminars sell legitimate products, there have been far too many reports of people being scammed out of their life savings.

AARP, in collaboration with the North American Securities Administrators Association, is working diligently to fight consumer fraud by encouraging you to join the Free Lunch Monitor program. Hundreds of people have already joined this national campaign to help monitor free lunch investment seminars.

By becoming a Free Lunch Monitor, you can help to fight fraud in Wyoming.

If you plan to attend a seminar, take the “What to Listen for Checklist” and report your findings to AARP. We are sharing this information with the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office.

Please visit www.aarp.org/nofreelunches to download the checklist and help make the market place safer for all investors.

Added: March 24, 2009
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Tips for Coping in Today's Fluctuating Economy

By Les Engelter

AARP Wyoming State President Les Engelter of Sheridan recently came across some tips to help people through turbulent financial times. He shares them here.

With each new day Wyomingites experience additional downturns in the economy through job losses, cutbacks in employment and shrinking investment portfolios. AARP's financial advisors have provided the following steps to help you deal with those uncertainties.

**Have a plan...allow it to guide your financial future.

**Revisit your reasons for investing...Ask: Why did I invest? What outcomes do I seek?

**Consult with an expert...it’s a good idea to get help evaluating your current status.

**Establish an emergency fund...keep from 6 to 8 months of living expenses in a secure account which can easily be accessed should you meet unexpected financial obligations.

**Make saving automatic...by automatically “setting aside” an amount from your paycheck or checkbook monthly.

**Review fees and expenses...look closely at your rates and expenses incurred on your mutual funds, which includes expense ratios and credit cards. Check again your interest rates and banking products. What are your transaction charges?

**Resist impulse purchases...how important is it that you make this purchase?

Get informed...Visit www.aarpfinancial.com for developing an understanding of key financial terms and concepts.

**Don't be afraid to ask for help...AARP Financials' salaried advisors are available for advice on your investments. They can be reached at 1-888-778-6187.

AARP does not offer financial products or services itself and cannot recommend that you purchase any specific product or services. AARP Financial, Inc. is a registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of AARP.

Added: March 16, 2009
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