AARP North Carolina

RALEIGH, NC -- In 2023, AARP North Carolina provided seven organizations throughout the state Community Challenge grants – part of the largest group of grantees to date with $3.6 million awarded among 310 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects that help communities become more livable by improving public places; transportation; housing; digital connections; diversity, equity and inclusion; and more, with an emphasis on the needs of adults ages 50 and older.

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-five North Carolina residents - 2,183,353 million people – receive Social Security benefits, and 50 percent of residents 65 and older (880,949) rely on the program for at least half of their income.

The bill would require that less-restrictive alternatives be considered before resorting to court-ordered guardianships for older North Carolinians and people with disabilities.

Seventy-five-year-old Army veteran Lester Rodgers, Jr. lives in Chatham County on a fixed income. When his wife passed away, he worried that he would not have enough money to keep his home.

ASHEVILLE -- Imagine being able to age in place in a new, award-winning home right here in Buncombe County that was designed for maximum accessibility. Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity submitted Aging in Place house plans to a Habitat for Humanity International design competition, and they won the 2023 Best in Accessibility Award!

The stories of your service to our nation are so important and must always be remembered. AARP can help you curate, record and store your memories. Whether stories about the friends you made or lost, basic training, the challenges you overcame, or the battles you fought, your memories can easily live on for all to remember. A smart phone is all you will need to participate in this FREE, four-part, virtual series led by professional curator, storyteller, and videographer Jon Camp.

When you were a kid, most often trails were reachable only after a boring car or bus ride which was a little too long or hard. As they say, "times have changed," and our state is making it easier than ever for you to get outside and active on a trail.

AARP North Carolina is working to make it easier for residents to get advance directives in place on how they want to be cared for during a serious illness. “Advance care planning empowers individuals to make their own important health care decisions while they are still able, bringing peace of mind to individuals and their families,” says Virginia Slocum, executive director of the North Carolina Serious Illness Coalition.

CHARLOTTE -- Joetta Glover of Charlotte was presented with the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service at a special ceremony at the Mint Museum on May 2. The award named after AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus, is presented every year to the AARP volunteer in each state who is making the most impact in the lives of older adults and their families.

The State of North Carolina Joins the AARP Network of Age Friendly States and Communities