Livable Communities

Volunteers are a critical resource for AARP and the work we do to make a positive impact on the lives of others right here in Kansas. The AARP Kansas office is looking for volunteers who are interested in working on a variety of issues that are important to Kansans and their families.

The following is testimony provided to the Kansas House and Human Services Committee on February 3, 2016 by AARP Kansas Director Maren Turner.

AARP Kansas volunteers and staff fanned out across the Statehouse in the first week of the legislative session delivering messages, attached to cookies, about the Kansas CARE Act that AARP is hoping to get passed into law this session. The sweet treat delivery was part of AARP’s 3 rd annual “Cookie Day at the Capitol,” to call attention to issues important to Kansans as they age.

On Wednesday, February 3, 2016, the Kansas House Health and Human Services Committee will hold a hearing on House Bill 2058, the CARE Act. The CARE Act, introduced at the request of AARP Kansas to support the state's more than 345,000 caregivers, will assist caregivers when the person for whom they are providing care is released from the hospital. The CARE Act allows hospital patients to designate a caregiver whose name is recorded in hospital records. If a caregiver is designated, the hospital must notify the caregiver when the patient is to be discharged and must give instructions on how to care for the patient.

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 is honoring the 40 million Americans – more than 345,000 from Kansas – who help older parents, grandparents, 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 about $4.1 billion annually in Kansas alone.

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.

If you live in or near Wichita, please join AARP for the Grandparents Park Fall Festival on Saturday, October 10 from 10 a.m. until noon. The park, located near Estelle and Kellogg in south Wichita, will be full of activity with live music, pumpkin painting, balloon art, face painting, free snacks, drinks and more.