Press

On the heels of a new report showing the top scam in Utah is imposter scams, the AARP Fraud Watch Network offers tips so people can learn how to protect themselves from all ten of the top scams reported by Utahns in 2014.

AARP Utah unveiled a statewide survey that showed a growing concern over retirement savings in the state. The survey, Making Retirement a Reality: Helping Utahns Age 25-64 Save and Take Control of Their Future, engaged 1,000 Utahns age 25-64 and found that 85 percent wish they were able to save more money for retirement and 77 percent support the idea of a state-created retirement plan for those who lack access at their place of work. One in six of those surveyed has less than $5000 in savings. Currently in Utah, 53 percent of private sector workers [1] – and 21 percent of those surveyed -- do not have access to a retirement savings plan at their place of work. The results were presented during AARP Utah’s Democracy Day event at the Utah State Capitol on February 12.

The Cost of Retiring Poor: Nearly 1 in 5 Utahns Will Reach Retirement age with More Debt than Cash and Savings

To coincide with Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, the AARP Fraud Watch Network is launching an education effort to help people protect themselves from tax scams, releasing a new video, a tip sheet and encouraging people to take advantage of AARP’s free tax preparation services.

(Midvale, UT) To recognize their work to support family caregivers in Utah, AARP named Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck and Senator Brian Shiozawa as 2014 “Capitol Caregivers,” a bipartisan group of 46 state legislators and 3 governors from 19 states. These elected officials have advanced policies to help family caregivers who are making it possible for older Utahns to live independently at home—where they want to be. Representative Chavez-Houck and Senator Shiozawa will be formally recognized for this honor today at the meeting of the Utah Coalition for Caregiving Support at the Department of Human Services.

To address the needs of the 70 percent of Americans age 50+ who suffer from some level of hearing loss, AARP has launched the AARP Hearing Resource Center. The platform, online at www.aarp.org/hearing, connects AARP members and other consumers interested in hearing health with helpful tips, information, tools and links to related product solutions and programs. A Spanish language version of the site is also available.

Utah is known for its fabulous skiing, beautiful national parks (five of them, the most in the country) and clean living, but it's also recognized as one of the best states for successful aging according to an index released by the Milken Institute on November 18. Provo was ranked third and Salt Lake City was ranked fifth of 352 U.S. cities in their index, which realizes that most Americans want to age at home and in place as opposed to moving somewhere else to retire.

(Midvale, UT) Utah ranks 39 th overall among the 50 states and the District of Columbia when it comes to meeting the long-term care needs of older residents, indicating more must be done, at an accelerated pace, to improve long-term supports and services in the state. This, according to a new, comprehensive state-by-state report, Raising Expectations 2014: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers Scorecard from AARP with support of the nation’s leading organizations behind quality long-term care, The Commonwealth Fund and SCAN Foundation.

AARP Foundation is pleased to announce $2.5 million in investments to fund three housing organizations that serve the vulnerable, 50+ population