AARP Mississippi

Social Security is your money — you earned it through a lifetime of hard work. And like most Americans, that money is needed to help cover living expenses and pay bills. Nearly one in four Mississippi residents – 681,219 people – receive Social Security benefits, and 55 percent of residents 65 and older rely on the program for at least half of their income.

More than 369,000 incidents of financial abuse targeting older adults are reported to authorities in the U.S. each year, causing an estimated $4.8 billion in losses. And those numbers likely understate the problem considerably. However, it’s good to remember that there are things we can do to stop elder financial exploitation.

Scammers are adept at manipulating the latest technological advances to commit their crimes. These days it’s happening in the world of artificial intelligence – commonly known as AI.

AARP Mississippi is looking for a new state president — its top volunteer role.

Regular walks can help improve cardiovascular fitness, cognition, memory, sleep and the immune system. To help residents get out on the trails, AARP Mississippi has joined with Walk with a Doc, a nonprofit that brings together doctors and those looking to improve their health.

In the early 1900s, the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, now called "Black Wall Street," was a vibrant and prosperous community. Despite the challenges and racial injustices they faced, residents of this community built a thriving neighborhood filled with successful Black-owned businesses, attorneys, doctors, and real estate agents. Their achievements were nothing short of remarkable and served as a beacon of hope for Black Americans nationwide.

Nearly 26,000 fraud and other reports were filed by Mississippi consumers in 2022, and $22.9 million was lost to fraud, according to Federal Trade Commission data.

Batter Up! You can receive a free ticket for the baseball game between the Mississippi Braves and the Biloxi Shuckers at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 8 at Trustmark Park in Pearl. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Request a ticket at this link: https://events.aarp.org/bravesapril

Latest AARP research attaches $5.6 billion to the estimated 440 million hours of unpaid care that family caregivers provided in 2021.

A new program is recruiting volunteers 50 and older to help with community outreach.