Carol Brooks Ball

AARP Massachusetts invites local residents to voice their thoughts and concerns about the future of Medicare and Social Security during a You’ve Earned a Say Community Conversation this week on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 10:30 a.m., at the senior center in Medford, MA.

Whether you are a recent college grad looking to gain solid experience, or someone older looking for a new challenge, we are looking for candidates with a passion for community service.

Today marks the 78 th anniversary of Social Security, a program created during the lean years of the Great Depression to provide “social insurance” to workers after a lifetime of employment. Seventy-eight years later, the program remains an earned benefit to workers as well as their families and the disabled.

For Katrina Clark of Roxbury (pictured at left: bottom row, far left)), the thought of reentering the job market after a decade spent as a full-time caregiver for her elderly mother was overwhelming.

You'd think that because Medicare has been around now for 48 years, we'd know all there is to know about it, right? Wrong! In fact, take The Medicare Challenge--our fun Medicare quiz--to see how much you know (or didn't know) about the health care insurance program.

On Tuesday, July 30, Medicare—the country’s health insurance program for Americans age 65+—celebrates its 48 th birthday.

AARP Massachusetts is working together with Generations Incorporated, proud affiliate of AARP Experience Corps SM, to give AARP members the chance to get involved in a special intergenerational mentoring program. Generations Incorporated, a highly regarded 22 year-old nonprofit organization in Boston, will match you with a child who needs help to develop his or her literacy skills.If you are interested in becoming an AARP Experience Corps volunteer with Generations Incorporated, you can help mentor a child attending one of 17 public schools or after-school programs in Boston and Revere. With your time and guidance, this child could have the chance to improve his or her literacy skills. Several options for volunteering are available to accommodate your interests and your schedule, and training is provided. You can contribute as few as two hours per week or as many as ten hours per week.

The AARP Massachusetts Executive Council provides strategic direction for AARP at the state level. The 10-member board includes 9 volunteers, led by the State President, Linda F. Fitzgerald. Each member brings uniquely valuable skills and experience to AARP.

Ever feel like you're living in a desert? Bay State residents, here we go again. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the state (with the exception of Cape Cod and the Islands). The heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., both today and tomorrow, Friday, July 19. According to the National Weather Service, the combination of hot temperatures and high humidity creates a situation in which heat illnesses are possible.

Congratulations, Massachusetts seniors! You live in the fourth healthiest state in the country, according to a new study just released by the United Health Foundation. The Senior Report—issued for the first time by the UHF—determines state rankings on the health of seniors (those age 65+) based on overall health, well-being, social and economic measures. Information from the Foundation’s site says that “34 different measures of health, ranging from smoking and obesity to ICU usage” are used to compare the health of seniors in each state.