Joyce DeMonnin

Rediscovering the joys of lifelong learning

Learn How to Work Hard and Save Easy

Volunteers make our communities great places to live work and play. Now you can you love your favorite volunteer back by  nominating that volunteer superstar for AARP’s most prestigious community service award.

A large number of Americans are unprepared financially for retirement. Are you on track? Check in with AARP Oregon to learn what you need to know about critical programs such as Social Security, Medicare and work past retirement.

As a black woman who is also over the age of 50, it breaks my heart when we receive calls from AARP members who cannot find jobs or even get an interview in a labor market that is screaming for qualified workers. People whose jobs have been downsized or who have had to leave the workforce to care for a loved one often find it difficult to re-enter the workforce. Many start tapping into their retirement savings or must take Social Security earlier thereby forgoing full benefits and losing needed retirement income.

I winced when I received the Newsletter of my ALF. The Newsletter for the Spring months of March or April is usually devoted to the reawakening of nature, a celebration, both religious and mythological, of what Stravinsky imagined musically, as “The Rites of Spring.”

AARP launched ‘ Stop Rx Greed,’ a nationwide campaign aimed at lowering prescription drug prices. The goal of AARP’s sustained campaign is to help drive down drug prices for Oregonians and all Americans by advocating for legislative, executive, and regulatory actions at both the federal and state level.

Ombudsman is a word that you’ve heard all your life and may have a slight idea of the definition. According to Wikipedia an ombudsman \ is an official who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or a violation of rights. [1]

I was a university teacher for 59 years. That’s the totality of my university, campus based classroom instruction, including the 15 years I taught through my retirement days and five years as a co-teacher during my wheelchair confinement as a disabled person. I continue to “teach” as a Guest Speaker in classes related to age and disability.

The ALF (Assisted Living Facility) I live in is located in a college town. That means all, or most, of our caregivers are university students. This has significant implications for our care. Since most of the residents are in their seventies or eighties, these young women – “she” is the usual personal pronoun used when talking about a caregiver - could be our granddaughters. It would be nice if they thought of us as “grandpa” or “grandma.” For the most part though, we’re the main ingredient of their job.