Leah Garloff

Every year, AARP honors an outstanding volunteer who is sharing his or her experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members with the Andrus Award for Community Service.

With many Americans worrying about matters such as the latest Presidential election polls, Dancing With the Stars contestants, or who would win the lottery for the first pick in the National Basketball Association draft (Go Sixers!), there are several things distracting Americans from another important issue at hand: Long-term care.

State Plan on Aging

Google announced this week that they would no longer accept advertising from payday lenders, an important step forward in the effort to fight one of the worst types of financial abuse against consumers. This is a battle many consumer groups, including AARP, have been fighting successfully in Pennsylvania for years, but it's also something consumer groups must constantly remain vigilant about, because payday lenders are persistent in their efforts to expand their markets.

As deadlines loom for action on the state budget and other critical matters, lawmakers returned to the State Capitol this week with a heightened sense of urgency. A number of issues rose quickly to the surface, including renewed interest in legislation which would expand the scope of practice of nurse practitioners. This bill has been introduced in the General Assembly for at least the past eight years, but it has suddenly gained momentum in the legislative process.

Over the last few weeks, the presidential candidates made frequent appearances across the Commonwealth, hosting town halls, rallies, and private appearances leading up to the April 26 th PA primary. While I’d like to think it was to enjoy a taste of the good life in the Keystone State, it had more to do with the influence primaries have on the presidential election later this fall.

New law will help 1.6 million family caregivers statewide

Big Week for Family Caregivers In Pennsylvania

New Department of Labor Rule on Investment Advice Protects Consumers

Those of us of a certain age probably remember The Jetsons, a 1960s television cartoon series set in the future where everyone drove flying cars and robots made dinner in devices that looked suspiciously like microwave ovens (As an aside, I suspect younger generations – that is anyone younger than 60 – would be flabbergasted to know that The Jetsons and The Flintstones were actually first aired on network television in primetime. Of course, some of those in younger generations are now saying, “What’s network television?”). AARP’s Vice President for State Advocacy and Strategy, Elaine Ryan, often cites The Jetsons when she talks about the future of health care in the United States. When the little boy in The Jetsons, Elroy, said he didn’t feel well and couldn’t go to school, his mother would call the doctor on the video phone. The doctor would make Elroy open his mouth, look at his tonsils, check his vital signs through various attachments that emerged from the video screen, and eventually tell him that he was fine and should go to school.