AARP Policy, Research, and Thought Leadership

📽️ Watch this two minute key insights video to learn why inaccessible design makes traveling for the #holidays difficult for older people and people with disabilities. Eric Lipp the director of the Open Doors Organization, Katie Osborn a strategist with Via Collective, and Karen Fennessey with Clare County Council Ireland explain how to #buildequity through policy and design. To see the full video and other topical webinars and case studies: https://lnkd.in/eZzXgP_z #agefriendly #travel #accessibility #inclusion #transportation #enablingdesign #disability #holidays

The Social Security minimum benefit was created in 1972 to help lift long-term low-wage workers out of poverty in retirement. But its design has made it nearly obsolete, and it is not reaching the retirees who need it.   Two new reports spotlight the opportunities and challenges of enhancing the minimum benefit so it can reach more people, including those with sporadic work histories – perhaps due to unpaid family caregiving, health challenges, or workplace discrimination – who are far more likely to have low lifetime earnings. Read the AARP Public Policy Institute brief and reports by experts at the @Urban Institute @Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. #SocialSecurity #Poverty #Retirement #FinancialSecurity https://lnkd.in/ewRPGtWY

Why does the same colonoscopy cost one person with Medicare $69 and another $203? And why would Medicare pay $345 for that procedure performed in a provider’s office but $1,015 for it in a hospital outpatient department?   This is traditional Medicare’s “site-based” payments policy at work. It results in consumers spending more out of pocket for Part-B covered services they receive in certain settings and increasing spending for the Medicare program overall, among other things. AARP’s Public Policy Institute published a report that explains how these payments work, their many implications, and alternative “site-neutral” policies that would ease the effect on consumers. #Medicare #PartB #HealthCare https://lnkd.in/egT8tGVs

In our latest Caring For Caregivers Conversation, we sit down with Debra Whitman, author of "The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond". A globally recognized expert on aging, Debra shares her journey of turning 50 and asking the big question: What does a good second half of life look like? Debra and host Bruce Carlson explore the challenges and opportunities that come with age, with a focus on topics that matter most to caregivers and their loved ones: ✅ Navigating the unique challenges of family caregiving ✅ Maintaining brain health and mental well-being ✅ Planning finances for the future ✅ Finding hope and purpose in the second half of life The Seven Questions: - How Long Will I Live? - Will I Be Healthy? - Will I Lose My Memory? - How Long Will I Work? - Will I Have Enough Money? - Where Will I Live? - How Will I Die? Check out the video for an inspiring and empowering conversation filled with practical advice, wisdom, and hope for anyone navigating caregiving or seeking answers to life’s big questions in midlife and beyond. https://lnkd.in/gGpS5rur

📽️ 48 million family caregivers in the US shoulder substantial financial burdens. And it’s not only the out-of-pocket costs that average $7,200 a year. Many are unable to meet their own expenses let alone save for retirement. Working caregivers can lose ground at their jobs. Watch our Policy Now video where author of AARP’s latest report on this issue, Selena Caldera, lays out the problem and potential solutions. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/ecCvJF8K #caregiving #familycaregivers

The Older Americans Act provides direct services and infrastructure that serve millions of frail older adults, many of whom are homebound. It funds direct services including nutrition, family caregiver supports and services to prevent the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older persons.   It is also the hub for developing our national plan on aging – and it is woefully underfunded. Learn about this unique, and uniquely important federal program in a new fact sheet from the AARP Public Policy Institute. #LTSS #FamilyCaregivers #Aging https://lnkd.in/eUW5Qt56

The Older Americans Act has been helping Americans age at home since 1965, playing a key role in preventing more costly nursing home stays and hospitalizations and supporting family caregivers.   The Act has a unique role in the suite of federal programs that support older adults and their families, yet its funding has not kept pace with inflation or the growth of our 60-plus population.   The AARP Public Policy Institute is out with a new fact sheet that breaks down the Act’s mission, explains its benefits in detail, and provides an in-depth look at how increased funding could be allocated to better support family caregiver support and nutrition services. #LTSS #FamilyCaregivers #Aging https://lnkd.in/eUW5Qt56

📽️ Watch this two minute key insights video to learn how  #ADU’s can #buildequity. Sherry Taylor the director of Durham Community Land Trustees, Inc., and Nichol Dehmer the founder of YardHomesMN, discuss their innovative building and financing solutions to #buildequity with #ADU’s. To see the full video and other topical webinars and case studies, visit: https://lnkd.in/eZzXgP_z #NAAHL #CCL #conference #affordablehousing #finance #innovation #housing #accessorydwellingunits #construction CIDQ AIA New York | Center for Architecture Stephanie K. Firestone

In 2023, 12.6 million – or over one in 10 – adults ages 50-plus were food insecure, with limited or uncertain access to adequate food, a figure that grew by 2.5 percentage points between 2021 and 2023.   This rise highlights the importance of ensuring that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – formerly known as food stamps – can keep doing its job. Read the new blog from AARP’s Public Policy Institute about how inflation is contributing to this rise and how SNAP lifts people out of poverty. #SeniorPoverty #FoodInsecurity #OlderAdults https://lnkd.in/eHuFQznv

It is clear that addressing the well documented disparities in long-term care will require action from more than one single sector. The complex needs of aging individuals, particularly those requiring long-term services and supports, span across health care, housing, transportation and social services.     The AARP Public Policy Institute has new video available in both Spanish and English that lays out what the disparities are, how they affect consumers and their families, and some opportunities that are available for changing policy and changing some of the ways we deliver care to address the inequities. #LTSS #HCBS #Aging #Disparities  https://lnkd.in/eXWJJS4X