Advocacy

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine Task Force on Healthy Aging, on which AARP holds a seat, is slated to release a report this summer on ways the state can promote healthy aging.

During the 2023 legislative session, volunteers advocate on behalf of North Carolinians 50-plus for bills to help workers save for retirement, to improve access to health care and to prevent unnecessary guardianships.

RALEIGH -- Today, roughly half of North Carolina private-sector workers don’t have a way to save for retirement through their job. That’s roughly 1.8 million residents who are unprepared to support themselves in the future and more likely to have Social Security as their only source of retirement income. And those who work for our state’s small businesses are even less likely to have a savings plan. N.C. State Representatives Jarrod Lowery, Jeffrey McNeely, Jon Hardister, and Harry Warren introduced a new bill in March to help change this.

Latest AARP research attaches monetary value to the estimated hours of unpaid care that North Carolina family caregivers provided in 2021.

Updates are needed to improve North Carolina's guardianship laws

RALEIGH -- When Frances Williams, a Raleigh native, sought healthcare for pain in her leg, her internist did not even touch her to assess the issue. Desperate for a more engaged caregiver, Williams took a suggestion from a nurse to visit Schquthia Peacock, a family nurse practitioner in Cary.

Medicaid expansion in North Carolina progresses

RALEIGH, NC – AARP North Carolina, a volunteer-led organization, appointed Helen Mack of Clemmons, NC, as its new state president in addition to four new Executive Council members. The volunteer Executive Council guides the work of the state office serving 1.1 million of AARP’s 38 million members nationwide.

RALEIGH -- Joining Our Voices: Envisioning the Future of Serious Illness Care is a weeklong free virtual symposium that brings together policy professionals, advocates, and peers in conversation to share experiences, innovations, and opportunities for the future of North Carolina’s serious illness care.

RALEIGH -- As the North Carolina Serious Illness Coalition (NCSI Coalition) approaches the end of its second year, COVID has provided an important catalyst for more than 160 members and 85 organizations coming together with the common goal of improving the lives of the seriously ill and their caregivers. AARP North Carolina has been an instrumental part of the Coalition's efforts.