Community

By John Reinhart

AARP Missouri is cohosting a Caregivers Conference in St. Louis in cooperation with Christian Hospital Auxiliary and Christian Hospital Foundation. The event aims to support family caregivers and provide information about resources that can help with transportation, shopping, meal preparation and other needs.

For two years, AARP Missouri has fought for legislation that could help family caregivers when a relative is in a hospital or about to come home. The bill stalled in committee in 2016 and 2017.

More than 22,000 Missourians reported they were victims of identity theft in 2015, giving the state the highest rate of complaints per capita in the nation. With Operation Stop Scams closely following this year’s April 18 tax filing deadline, the time is ripe for people to get rid of documents they no longer need.

By Tim Poor

Caregivers Together, a local support group in Carthage, meets monthly to offer family caregivers in the area an opportunity to share stories with others facing the same challenges. Founded by AARP volunteer Jinny Hopp, the group also shares tips on how to balance your own life and work with the tasks required to meet an aging loved one’s needs.

In keeping with the state’s constitutional guarantee to “free exercise of the right of suffrage,” AARP Missouri is raising concerns about a measure that would place new restrictions on voting. The resolution (HJR 53) calls for a state constitutional amendment that would require every voter to present an approved form of photo identification at the polls.

The devastating natural disasters that have made national news this year serve as a reminder to people of all ages that we must take action to prepare for emergencies that could affect us where we live, work or visit.

AARP in Kansas City is teaming with BikeWalk KC for the 3rd Annual KC Women's Bike Summit designed to create a venue for women of all ages and backgrounds to come together. Participants will convene at St. Teresa's Academy , 5600 Main Street from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Participants will celebrate bicycling, discuss issues that are relevant and important to women bike riders, and provide hands-on opportunities for women to become more confident riders.

Sharon Wells of Florissant has been selected by AARP, the nonprofit organization for people 50 and older, to receive the 2016 AARP Missouri Andrus Award for Community Service – the Association’s most prestigious and visible state volunteer award for community service.