AARP Oregon

Apps for online dating? Apps for senior (make that “old folks”) dating

By Mac McLean

For more than 80 years, Social Security has helped secure today and tomorrow with information, tools, and resources to meet our customers’ changing needs and lifestyles.

On April 13th, AARP Oregon, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Rogue Valley Council of Governments, Transportation Growth Management Program, Oregon Chapter of American Planners Association hosted the Rogue Valley 17 Livability Solutions Forum: Future of Housing in Medford. The event focused on exploring how the Jackson and Josephine Counties can create more housing options, identifying barriers and challenges to more innovative housing that support residents across age, ability and income spectrums and how “missing middle housing” can be instrumental in building successful multi-generational communities.

Dick Weinman is an AARP Volunteer Blogger and an Assisted Living Guru

Now in his 70’s, Ron Herndon has no immediate plans to retire. He enjoys working with a staff of over 300 and watching what they are able to do. “As long as I bring something to the organization, I’ll keep doing it,” he says with a smile.

Many AARP members and I have this in common--we've been on both sides of caregiving. We have given and we have received, and considering life's trajectory, it's a trend that will likely continue. Chances are good we will have family members and friends who will depend on us to assist them, provide transportation, and perhaps advocate on their behalf. I'm going out on a limb here, but maybe some of you are like me--occasionally you need some of those very acts of compassion right now.

As I sat in the quiet of the sanctuary, the silence broken by the whispery voices of the mourners, an occasional cough, the squish of feet and walkers awkwardly treading down the aisle, the sleepy environment lured my mind to roil. I latched on to one of my rolling thoughts . .

Thirty-five percent of Oregonians live in rural areas, and of those, 44 percent are 65 or older. Yet rural communities lag behind in offering health care, transportation and other services that make a community age-friendly.

March is Women’s History Month — a time to focus not just on the past, but on the challenges women continue to face. Nearly 60 percent of the people receiving Social Security benefits are women, and in the 21st century, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation’s history. Knowing this, you can be the author of your own rich and independent history, with a little preparation.