AARP Texas

By Ellen Chang

It’s that time of year, folks! It’s time to celebrate and recognize our outstanding volunteers during National Volunteer Week. In Texas, we’d like to highlight several outstanding folks who have gone above and beyond for their communities. Without the help of our committed volunteers, our Texas communities would not be the same.

Alicia Buescher, 64, of Fort Worth has been a nurse practitioner for over 30 years. She’s had a passion for nursing since the age of 16 when she volunteered at a local children’s hospital. “Not everybody knows what they want to do, but I did,” she said.

The Texas Senate took a pivotal step toward improving the quality of care in Texas nursing facilities on Wednesday by unanimously approving Senate Bill 932, which seeks to hold nursing home operators accountable for harming residents.

After a couple of weeks back in their districts for spring recess, members of Congress return to Capitol Hill on Monday, and you will soon start hearing again about shenanigans involving a very dangerous health care bill that many Americans had left for dead.

Retirement should be a time of peace and relaxation, not one of struggle and financial worry. And when retirees seek advice regarding retirement investments, they should expect their professional advisors to give prudent guidance that keeps their best interests in mind.

To promote age-friendly, livable communities, AARP Texas is hosting gardening classes across the state.

Carolyn Hartman’s mother, Myrtle Hartman, died last spring after spending eight years in a Central Texas nursing facility.

Always good to see Dr. S. P. Kinjawadekar, the 85-year-old president emeritus and founder of India's only national senior citizens organization, the All-India Senior Citizens Confederation. Dr. Kinjawadekar, who said he was inspired by AARP to start this organization 16 years ago, was a physician for more than 30 years in his native country before turning his attention to older Indian issues and starting the nonprofit organization. He has a daughter living in Austin and was making his 3rd visit to our office in the last decade. A comparatively early retirement age (58-to-60 on average) coupled with a lack of social programs like Social Security and Medicare and Indians now living longer lives -- the fastest growing segment of the population is now age 80+ -- means there are rising concerns about being able to maintain the health and wellbeing of older citizens. Still, Dr. Kinjawadekar remains bullish on India’s future and is quick to point to the potential of its younger generation to make India a more prosperous nation in the future.

There's one month until Tax Day! Tax season is notorious for being a headache for many during the springtime. From meeting strict deadlines, to knowing which services are reliable, taxes can create some unwanted stress. That’s why Tax-Aide started nearly five decades ago.