Home & Family

Are you ready for your home heating bill to go up-- again?

With more than 43.5 million family caregivers in the United States, support for this silent army continues to grow. From books to support groups, training classes and apps – the challenge has become connecting caregivers to available resources. That’s why AARP has its I Heart Caregivers initiative.

Mother’s day is almost here! If you are thinking about scheduling last minute flower deliveries beware! With thousands of online flowers being ordered, crooks have hit a new low of setting up fake online flower shops, and then promoting then all over the internet. They attract buyers by claiming to have cheap prices, but in reality are just taking your credit card info and, you guessed it, not delivering flowers. Make sure to research the seller. Do your homework and don’t get lured by cheap prices. Make sure every mom has the chance to be celebrated this mother’s day!

Disasters strike without warning. Whether it’s hurricanes, tornadoes, fires or floods - being prepared is the key to keeping yourself and your loved ones safe in a crisis.

Stealing your ID, Stealing your Life: Using small bits of information found in your car, or your mailbox, con artists can steal your identity and your life.

Now that 2015 has come to a close, tax season is just around the corner and with it comes our nation’s largest scam: IRS fraud. IRS scams are the most common con and pose a continued threat to the American taxpayer. Using threats and intimidation, phony IRS agents have stolen millions of dollars out of the pockets of hard working Americans. Each year we see more sophisticated tools and technology being used to generate doubt and panic in even the most logical and educated taxpayer.

Forty Native American cooks took part in the Intertribal Solutions annual cooking class sponsored by AARP, The American Association of Indian Physicians (AAIP) and the four federally recognized tribes in Kansas. The class is held in November each year to call attention to diabetes as November is Native American Heritage Month and Diabetes Awareness Month. The cooks learned how to make a healthy, nutritional meal using traditional indigenous foods.

AARP Kansas Advocacy Volunteer David Wilson provided testimony at the Atmos Energy rate hike request public hearing on December 1, 2015 in Overland Park. Wilson was the only member of the public to speak at the hearing which was live-streamed on the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) website.

By Gabrielle Armstrong, AARP Kansas Intern *

When Westar Energy and Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L) asked for rate increases earlier this year, AARP Kansas pushed back on behalf of the nearly one million Kansas customers who would be impacted by higher electricity bills. AARP fought to protect their hard-earned money so they could afford to keep the lights on.