Local Resources

Thanks to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services for this warning:

Wichita has become the first city in Kansas to join an elite worldwide network of age-friendly communities. In presenting Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer with its membership certificate in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities today, AARP Kansas Director Maren Turner acknowledged the City of Wichita’s commitment to become more accessible, convenient and, ultimately, more user-friendly for older Americans.

The workshop, “Protecting Yourself from Home Repair Contractor Fraud and Scams” scheduled for tonight at 6:30pm at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library has been because of the severe weather expected on Monday evening. The workshop will be rescheduled. Be sure to check back here or on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aarpks for more information.

Ever been a victim of a home improvement scam? Find out how you can prevent this from happening at a workshop in Topeka on Monday, February 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. The National Center for the Prevention of Home Improvement Fraud has gathered experts to help you learn how to deal with home repair contractors and learn what the typical scams are. Also, learn how to hire contractors, how to check them out, what should actually be in your contract, the building permit process, how to set up payment schedules, insurance issues you may not know about, how to deal with problems that may arise, change order, lien releases and a whole lot more. Learn how to protect yourself now and in the future. Speakers scheduled to provide information include:

I have always enjoyed learning, whether it is traditional “book-learning” or the more spontaneous kind. Since receiving my Bachelor’s degree in 1980 from Emporia State University, I’ve returned to school many times for a class or two – I even completed 20 hours toward a Master’s degree before I met my husband. I stopped taking classes toward that degree to help him finish a very important job – raising three teenaged girls. Now, I’m a grandmother, with six beautiful grandchildren.

The Kansas Food Bank has been busy distributing Bob Boxes in 24 counties in Northwest Kansas. The boxes of food, each containing about a week’s worth of groceries, are provided free to older Kansans who may need help at the end of the month to put food on the table. Not all counties have food banks or food pantries, so this is a way to get food out to people who may not otherwise have access to assistance. The boxes, named after former U.S. Senator Bob Dole who pledged $250,000 to the program over the next five years, are intended to help alleviate hunger among the state’s older population. AARP Kansas, through a grant from the AARP Foundation and Drive to End Hunger, is assisting the food bank in making sure Kansans know about the program. Bob Boxes will be distributed in additional western Kansas counties in 2013. The boxes are located at various locations in each of the 24 counties, including health departments, senior centers, etc. For more information, contact the Kansas Food Bank at 316-265-4421.