Advocacy

Kathryn LeRoy LeBrasseur of Alexandria was presented with the 2014 AARP Minnesota Andrus Award for Community Service at an awards reception held at the Senior Community Center today. The award honors Minnesotans over the age of 50 who are sharing their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members. As part of the award, AARP made a $1,000 donation to the Alexandria Senior Community Center.

AARP recently released an economic analysis, compiled by Oxford Economics, which sought to quantify the economic impact of American consumers over the age of 50 years of age. Dubbed the "Longevity Economy" the report looks at the sum of all economic activity serving the needs of Americans over 50 and including both the products and services they purchase directly and the further economic activity this spending generates.

Xcel Energy is asking more than 1 million Minnesota residents to pay 12.5% more for their electricity over the next two years. The price hike will increase the average Xcel customer's bill by $123 by 2016. Rather than simply accepting their ever increasing utility bills, hundreds of Minnesotans are making their voices heard at the Public Utilities Commission. Here are two individuals who shared their stories with us.

Right now, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is considering a request by Xcel Energy to increase the electric bills of around 1 million consumers by 12.5%

ST.PAUL -- AARP Minnesota today announced the appointment of Jim Scheibel of St. Paul to the two-year position of State President – the highest state-level volunteer position within the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has more than 650,000 members statewide and nearly 40 million members nationwide. Scheibel, the former mayor of St. Paul, was appointed to the position by AARP Midwest Regional Volunteer Director Dean Clough,and will begin his role immediately.

AARP’s priority this session was fighting for legislation that addresses the financial security of the 50+ population.

ST.PAUL -- AARP Minnesota today unveiled a statewide survey that showed a growing concern over retirement savings in the Gopher State. The survey engaged 1,000 Minnesotans over the age of 45 and found that 76 percent felt that they have not yet saved enough to retire and 72 percent support the idea of a state created retirement plan for those who lack access at their place of work.

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AARP’s focus during the 2014 Legislative Session will be strengthening the financial security of Minnesotans. Whether nearing retirement, or putting their kids through college, AARP is fighting to put financial security within reach for Minnesotans who work hard and plan for their future.

Today, more than 42 million family caregivers provide an estimated $450 billion in unpaid care for their loved ones. The estimated value of the care provided by family and friends in Minnesota is $8.9 billion annually. As the population ages, the number of workers providing care for their aging parents or relatives is on the rise. Family caregivers often struggle to balance work and family care giving responsibilities that can create financial hardship especially when caregivers lose income or have to leave the workforce due to these demands.