Life@50+ AARP's National Event & Expo Comes to Anaheim October 26-28
AARP will bring its annual Life@50+ AARP’s National Event & Expo to Anaheim, October 26-28, 2006. This national event for AARP members, friends, and their families will have something for everyone with three unforgettable days and nights filled with non-stop activity, fun, and excitement at the Anaheim Convention Center.

More than 25,000 AARP members from all over the United States are expected to converge on Southern California to participate in this unique expo and entertainment weekend, where they’ll experience top-notch entertainment and interactive exhibits, as well as lifestyle, education, and feature sessions with noted experts and celebrities.
Full Story

---

AARP-Supported Rx Discount Program
Passed by Legislature
On August 30, the California Legislature passed Governor Schwarzenegger’s new prescription drug discount plan, which will become law when the Governor signs it this month. On July 22nd, AARP California State President Helen Russ was invited to appear at a press conference with the Governor announcing the new plan, which contains similar language to bills previously supported by AARP and is backed by the California Department of Health Services. Unlike previous proposals, this plan contains enforcement provisions that take effect if, after five years, drug companies are not providing appropriate discounts to Californians with incomes at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level. AARP California worked closely with the legislative leadership and the administration to reach this compromise, which will deliver meaningful discounts to approximately 5 million uninsured Californians.

“We are very pleased, especially after the initiative battle last year,” said Casey Young, AARP California Advocacy Director. “We were able to get a bill that uses the bargaining power of the Medicaid program to obtain discounts for the uninsured, including -- with federal permission -- drugs for part D recipients in the coverage gap.

---

AARP Convenes Historic Roundtable Discussion on Long-Term Care
AARP leaders met with experts in the aging field at the AARP state office in Sacramento on July 10 to identify the steps required to move forward in building an affordable, accessible, and seamless long-term care system in California. The first-of-its-kind meeting was called by AARP California to address the seemingly intractable challenges to creating an integrated long-term care system. Many participants noted that this effort had been underway for 30 years without much progress. Accordingly, much of the discussion was focused on the challenges that have kept California from building a high-quality and integrated long-term care system -- as well as on the opportunities currently available to make meaningful changes.
Full Story

---

Lavada DeSalles Joins California
Executive Council
Former AARP California State President Lavada E. DeSalles of Sacramento, also a former member of AARP’s National Board of Directors, was appointed to the AARP California Executive Council in August. As a member of the Board, she served as chair of the AARP Insurance Trust and vice chair of the Board Governance Committee.

Lavada retired in 1994 after 32 years of service with the State of California Employment Services. At the time of her retirement, she served as executive director of the Governor's Task Force for Employment of Older Workers.

---

Carl Wood Testifies as Legislature Reviews
Heat Wave Response
As California and much of the nation recovered from the recent record-breaking heat wave, AARP California Executive Council member Carl Wood testified before the State Senate Committee on Governmental Organization concerning how to protect the elderly from becoming victims of future extreme weather conditions. Wood, a former Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission, addressed the committee August 9th at the State Capitol. In his testimony, Wood called on state electric and gas utilities and the legislature to provide meaningful solutions to what he called a “recurring natural disaster.”
Full Story

---

Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Fiesta Days
On August 3-5, AARP California sponsored the "Old Spanish Days Fiesta" in Santa Barbara Noches de Ronda. The festivities included three nights of music and dance, including fiery Flamenco from Spain and vivid Folkorico dances from Mexico.
Full Story

---

AARP Sponsors Midlife & Older Women's Conference
Actress and activist Lupe Ontiveros delighted a crowd of more than 500 on July 29th during a luncheon sponsored by AARP California. The event was part of a daylong celebration of mature women during the 5th Annual Mid-life & Older Women's Conference in Los Angeles. Ontiveros delivered the keynote address and signed copies of AARP’s Segunda Juventud at the conference coordinated by the Older Women's Issues Committee of the L. A. County Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council. The free one-day conference featured workshops centered around the theme "Issues and Answers: Live Longer, Better, and Wiser.” Topics included The Caregiver’s Tool Kit, Fitness for Your Brain, Kicking It Up: Nutrition and Exercise, Guardianship and the Law, Prescription Drugs: Questions and Answers, and Transportation – Seniors on the Move. The conference was designed to offer information to mid-life and older women to help them prepare to deal with issues related to aging. Other sponsors included Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, Los Angeles Commission on Aging, Los Angeles County Commission for Women, Los Angeles County Commission for Women's Health, American Association of University Women.

---

Just the Facts: Social Security An estimated 97% of children under 18 can count on monthly benefits if a working parent dies. About 90% of workers and their families have protection in the event of a long-term disability. Anyone who qualifies for Social Security benefits receives a monthly check and can count on that check keeping pace with the rising cost of living. Go to www.aarp.org/money/social_security/ for more information on Social Security.

---

AARP Co-Sponsors Wheelchair Wash
for Persons with Disabilities
The 3rd Annual Wheelchair Wash on July 29th, supported in part by AARP California, honored the disabled community of East Los Angeles. In Celebration of the 16th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Familia Unida Living with Multiple Sclerosis coordinated a free “Wheelchair Wash” and a day of pampering for people with disabilities. The event was designed to embrace people living with disabilities and to encourage families to stay involved and engaged with their disabled neighbors, friends, and loved ones who at times feel alone and isolated. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa rolled up his sleeves and washed wheelchairs along with AARP and other volunteers. The one-day multi-generational event attracted more than 1,200 people from the surrounding community. After wheelchairs received a little TLC so did their occupants with free haircuts, makeovers, manicures, and massages. AARP California distributed copies of Segunda Juventud magazine to those in attendance. The Wheelchair Wash was covered by several news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, Univision, ABC 7, KTNQ 1020, and KLVE 107.5.

---

AARP Volunteers Assist Immigrants
at "Day of Citizenship" Outreach
Several bilingual AARP California volunteers joined a coalition of organizations whose members spent their weekend assisting thousands of legal immigrants at the "Day of Citizenship" event in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 1st. David Damian Figueroa, Associate State Director for Community Outreach and Betty Valles, a lead volunteer in the Los Angeles area, helped coordinate AARP’s efforts. Volunteers, many from the West Covina area, assisted with filling out applications and providing information to attendees, the majority of which could not read the application and therefore required help completing it. More than 500 volunteers from various labor, religious and community organizations spent a full day filing nearly two thousand applications.

"I learned a lot and it was so satisfying to assist people that really want to be U.S. citizens,” said Valles. “There was one 78-year-old woman who was originally from Guatemala but who has been living here in the U.S. for 30 years as a full-time caregiver. It felt great to be able to help someone like her. "

---

AARP Volunteers Testify at Reverse Mortgage Hearings
A group of AARP California volunteers attended a recent public hearing of the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) on June 16th in San Francisco. The topic of the hearing was reverse mortgages and the home-equity lending market. The AARP team – more than 20 strong and wearing red AARP t-shirts – made a strong impression.
Full Story

---

AARP Volunteers Team up to Improve Homes
On Saturday June 24, AARP California, Rebuilding Together San Diego and the local Hartford Insurance office renovated the home of Elizabeth Shoemaker, an elderly San Diego resident who was unable to complete the repairs herself.

More than 60 volunteers converged on her lawn early Saturday morning to paint the entire house inside and out, and to make electrical, plumbing, and roof repairs. As the local Univision cameras rolled, volunteers transformed Elizabeth’s house into a nicer, safer place to live. The event was organized by Maxine Fischer, AARP Associate State Director for the San Diego area, and it drew such a large response that she now was a waiting list of volunteers ready to tackle the project.
Full Story

---

Gala Constancio Appointed RVL
Gala Constancio has been appointed Regional Volunteer Leader (RVL) for the Southern part of the North Region. Gala is a multi-faceted and talented individual, with a long-standing professional relationship with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She has been an active and involved volunteer leader in the Los Angeles area in bilingual outreach and as a speaker on AARP issues.
Full Story

 

“The causes that can engage your leisure hours to the betterment of society are as numberless as the sand of the desert.” Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus