Lyle Halvorson

Are you looking for a meaningful, part-time volunteer opportunity? Even if you have a job, you could still become a part-time volunteer. Consider AARP’s Driver Safety program, which is operated entirely by volunteers in North Dakota.

As the days and nights get colder, some low-income North Dakotans may find the increase in home heating costs beyond what their budget can handle. The North Dakota Department of Human Services is reminding low-income individuals, families, and seniors that help is available through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Applications are now being accepted at county social service offices in North Dakota.

November marked National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize the 40 million Americans – more than 61,000 from North Dakota – who help older parents, spouses, and other loved ones live independently at home, where they want to be. The unpaid care they provide – managing medications, cooking meals, driving to appointments, performing complex medical tasks and more – is valued at $860 million in North Dakota alone.

State lawmakers launched a study this summer to determine what kinds of support family caregivers need. The study could lead to legislation in 2017 to ease the burden on those caring for a loved one at home.

The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is looking for new volunteers across North Dakota.

In November, the North Dakota Public Service Commission finalized its ruling on a natural gas rate increase requested by Montana-Dakota Utilities.

Alice Hoffert of Grand Forks will be presented with the 2015 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service Sept. 23 in Fargo.

Family caregivers in North Dakota provided 58 million hours of care – worth an estimated $860 million – to their parents, spouses, partners, and other adult loved ones in 2013, according to AARP Public Policy Institute’s new report, Valuing the Invaluable: 2015 Update.

Volunteers are a critical resource for AARP and the work we do to make a positive impact on the lives of others, including here in North Dakota.

Bismarck and Fargo have both been named a Top 10 city in a new Livability Index developed by AARP. The study identified the most livable places in the country for people 50-plus.