Health & Wellbeing

Little Rock today hit 100 degrees for the first time in 2016, with a heat advisory in effect until 9 p.m. CDT this Sunday, July 24, according to the U.S. National Weather Service in Little Rock. Staying cool during a blistering summer can mean the difference between life and death; more Americans die from heat waves than all other natural disasters combined.

Eating well can be especially challenging for low-income people who live far from stores that sell fresh produce at affordable prices. With the growing season in full swing, AARP Arkansas wants to remind those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that their benefits can go twice as far at participating farmers’ markets. Under the Double Up Food Bucks program, SNAP dollars can double the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables shoppers take home.

FAYETTEVILLE—The Schmieding Home Caregiver Training Program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will hold a free family caregiver workshop Wednesday, June 29 in Fayetteville for those who would like to learn about caring for an adult with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

AARP Arkansas is bringing CAREversations—an interactive, engaging family caregiving event to Central Arkansas next month.

The AARP state office is urging Arkansans to keep an eye out for elder abuse, which includes physical abuse, financial exploitation and self-neglect. Abuse may involve an intentional attempt to inflict suffering, or it could occur unintentionally due to infirmity, laziness or inadequate know-how on the part of the person responsible.

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Shirley Bell, 66, is fiercely independent and is used to doing things for herself. But six years ago, when she became the primary caregiver for her mother, she realized that sometimes everyone needs a little help.

"When you volunteer with AARP you know you are making a difference," said AARP Arkansas Executive Council Member and three-year volunteer Willa Black Sanders, MPA. "It matters. And there is so much work to do."

An estimated 26 percent of Arkansas seniors face food insecurity, according to a report from the National Foundation to End Hunger. This alarming statistic is why the state has also ranked #1 in senior hunger for the last three years.

The donations keep growing and Arkansans 50+ are in less danger of going hungry now, thanks to AARP’s Stamp Out Hunger 2013 Drive. Conducted in association with the U.S. Postal Service and National Association of Letter Carriers, Stamp Out Hunger 2013 netted a record 699,905 pounds of non-perishable food--nearly 350 tons, topping the 2012 tally of 689,589 pounds. These numbers add up to hundreds of thousands of meals for hungry Arkansans 50+ across the Natural State.