Advocacy

AARP Connecticut has called on policy makers to take action to ensure the 22,000 nursing home residents in Connecticut and their loved ones can safely stay in contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 20, 2020, AARP Connecticut sent a letter to the state’s Governor and Commissioner of Public Health strongly recommending modifications to a March 13, 2020, Public Health Order banning visitors to nursing homes, including residents’ immediate family and caregivers. For example, requiring nursing homes to offer and facilitate virtual video visitation, as well as other enhanced communications, will help prevent social isolation, reduce anxiety, and promote safety, among other benefits. In addition, AARP Connecticut provided testimony to the Human Services Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly strongly recommending allowing passive video monitoring in nursing homes. AARP Connecticut followed this with an email to every member of the Connecticut General Assembly on March 23, 2020, asking that any legislative action in response to COVID-19 codify these recommendations.

Age discrimination has been illegal for more than 50 years, however a 2018 AARP survey of people age 45 and over show problems persist. More than 60% of respondents witnessed or experienced age discrimination in the workplace and nearly 45% of those who applied or interviewed for a job in the previous two years were asked age-related questions such as birth and graduation dates.

AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan provided the following statement in regards to Governor Lamont’s State of the State Address and Senate Bill 1:

The full results of the report can be found online as well.

AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan joined State Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) and a bipartisan group of legislators, the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, and additional advocates at a press conference yesterday to announce support for a bill that prohibits employers from asking the date of birth, or school attendance and graduation dates of job applicants, unless a age is a bona fide occupational qualification.

AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan released the following statement today, applauding Reps. Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jahana Hayes, Jim Himes and John Larson of the U.S. House of Representatives for voting to pass H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act.

The 2020 Census is fast approaching and funding for schools, health care, infrastructure, and many other vital programs we rely on in Connecticut are riding on everyone participating.

Small businesses are increasingly becoming targets of scammers. One of the best ways to keep your business and customer base safe is to stay informed about the different techniques used by people who try to take advantage of small companies. This is especially important for New England small businesses, since many of the states in the Northeast, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine, are among states where the most small businesses are created (per capita).

The average older American takes 4.5 prescriptions—and prices are rising much faster than inflation.

It’s well known that prescription drug prices are skyrocketing in America. Price increases for brand name drugs have far exceeded the rate of inflation since at least 2006, according to AARP’s Rx Price Watch report. And the average annual cost for just one brand name drug taken on a chronic basis was about $6,800 in 2017, almost $1,000 more than in 2015. However, it’s not just patients paying for greedy Big Pharma practices that help keep drug prices high— it’s also taxpayers.