AARP Minnesota

December 4 to 8, 2023 is Older Driver Safety Awareness Week (ODSAW), a time to empower older adults to improve their safety on the nation’s roadways. This is important because – even though they are safe drivers overall – older drivers are more vulnerable to severe injury or even death when involved in a vehicle crash.

For the first time since AARP began publishing the Scorecard in 2011, more than half of Medicaid long-term care dollars nationwide for older adults and people with physical disabilities went to home- and community-based services instead of nursing homes and other institutions.

The heart of AARP Minnesota's work revolves around our volunteers. We are grateful to our volunteers who bring to life AARP’s purpose to empower people to choose how they live as they age. AARP volunteers are skilled, dedicated and passionate about giving back to their communities and helping the 50-plus population live their best lives.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, which seeks to shine a bright light on the more than 48 million American heroes, including 530,000 here in Minnesota, helping care for their loved ones independently at home – where they want to be.

Sara Barsel has been awarded the 2023 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service for Minnesota. The annual award is AARP’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award. It recognizes individuals who are sharing their experience, talent and skills to enrich their communities in ways that are consistent with AARP’s purpose and vision. Their commitment to volunteer service embodies AARP's founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, belief in the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

AARP’s founder Dr. Ethyl Percy Andrus once characterized AARP’s work on behalf of older Americans, “to serve, not to be served.”

Minnesota Secure Choice will allow employees to contribute to an individual retirement account via automatic payroll deduction. The program could begin operation as early as January 2025.

People living with early dementia, their caregivers, health care professionals and others are invited to learn about paths to emotional wellness and the latest medical developments at the Mayo Clinic 2023 Conference on Brain Health and Dementia on Saturday, Nov. 4.

AARP’s new Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Scorecard finds that Minnesota ranks #1 and outperformed all other states in the country, particularly due to strong support for family caregivers, and providing many options in terms of services and long-term care settings. Ranking first in the nation indicates that Minnesota has made critical investments in home and community-based services and has a strong network of community-based providers focused on serving older Minnesotans in their homes.

Reliable, affordable high-speed internet access is of utmost importance to older Minnesotans, but access and adoption have remained elusive for too many, too long. In addition, it will be critical to help people acquire the skills, devices, and capacity they need to access the internet and reap the full benefits of our digital economy.