The Link

1/8/2013
AARP Oregon

2013 Oregon AARP News Topics

Happy New Year,

If there is a breaking news story - or a Sunday feature you're trying to write between daily stories - you want the best sources available to you to get balanced, reliable information. When it comes to topics of most concern to people 50+, I can help you identify the top experts in aging in Oregon, whether it's an AARP staff member or one of our dozens of community partners around the state.

As the AARP Oregon Director of Communications and Media Relations, I am happy to be a resource for you from finding the perfect source of a story - or even having access to studies published by AARP's Public Policy Institute.
We're experts in a variety of topics including:

* Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

* Affordable Care Act and State Health Insurance Exchange

* Livable Communities

* Healthy Aging/Living

* Retirement and pre-retirement planning

* Caregiving, Grandparenting and the Sandwich Generation

* Older Workers and Re-Careering

* Dating over 50+

* Driver Safety Programs

* Tax Aide Sites

* Adult Hunger

* Financial Exploitation & Fraud

* State legislative issues of long-term care and home and community based services, property tax deferral, tax reform, and senior medical deductions, reverse mortgages, preventing elder abuse and scams.

On www.aarp.org we have a wealth of information available on the 50+ population. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Please feel free to contact me for breaking new or for developing a story idea. My v card is attached. I hope to be speaking with you soon.

Best,

Shelley

Shelley M. Buckingham
Director of Communications & Media Relations
AARP Oregon
503-513-7367 (office)
503-803-2725 (cell)

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AARP STATE FACT SHEET OREGON

AARP is working to help Americans 50+ in Oregon live life to the fullest. We advocate for our members on critical priorities, such as strengthening Social Security, protecting seniors' access to their doctors, and ensuring all Americans have independence and choice as they age.

AARP serves as a one-stop resource for information on the age 50+ population in Oregon and public opinion research. In addition to serving as a clearinghouse for information about older Americans, we also offer programs and tools that help Americans age 50+ make the best decisions about their health and financial security. We hope the data below and the programs on the reverse side will be helpful to you and your constituents.

Oregon at a Glance

* AARP Members

Total number of AARP members in Oregon: over 500,000

* Social Security

Social Security Beneficiaries: 712,216

Retirees: 486,588

Widow(er)s: 53,660

Disabled Workers: 97,786

Social Security recipients who rely on Social Security for 90% or more of their income: 21.8%

Social Security recipients who rely on Social Security for 50% or more of their income: 52.1%

* Medicare

Total Medicare Beneficiaries: 625,594

* Long-Term Services and Supports

Percent of Medicaid spending for home and community-based services (HCBS): 55.2%

Percent of Medicaid spending for nursing homes: 44.8%

Estimated number of family caregivers at any time during the year: 678,000

Unpaid contributions of family caregivers are valued at: $5.5 billion

* AARP: Helping Americans 50+ Live Their Best Lives

AARP is working to ensure Americans 50+ have choice, control and independence through every stage of their lives.

* Finding A Job

AARP is helping older workers find jobs through our online job board. This tool allows users to search among more than 1 million job listings. The jobs are searchable by state and zip code, part-time and full-time status, specific company, and further broken down by industry, occupation and title. The job board can be found at http://jobs.aarp.org.

*Preparing For Your Retirement

AARP is helping Americans prepare for retirement by providing a retirement calculator that will allow them to answer key questions: Am I saving enough? When can I afford to stop
working? How long will my money last? The calculator can be found at www.aarp.org/retirementcalculator.

* Preserving Your Independence And Choices

Decide.Create.ShareSM is AARP's national campaign dedicated to increasing awareness among boomer women about long-term care planning. The campaign website offers timely, relevant
news on long-term care, interactive tools and information tailored to women interested in planning for their long-term care, including glossaries, polls, and an online community for women who are considering their options and planning for their future. Go to: www.aarp.org/decide.

* Driving Safely As You Age

Even though older drivers are generally safe drivers, cars have changed. So have traffic rules, driving conditions, and the roads we drive on every day. Older drivers can sharpen their driving skills and refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road by taking the AARP Driver Safety Program classroom or online course. To learn more visit www.aarp.org/drive or call 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669). Also available is the Getting Around Guide (www.aarp.org/gettingaround) for those who no longer drive or are interested in going "car-lite."

* Free Tax Help

AARP Tax-Aide is the nation's largest free, volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service for low- and moderate-income taxpayers, In 2010, 1,100 Tax-Aide volunteers helped 55,000 Oregonians file their federal and state returns. AARP clients in Oregon received $58,000,000
(million) in tax refunds. Tax-Aide sites are located across the state from January 2 through April 15. Visit www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/ for a site near you.

* Drive to End Hunger

Ten percent of Oregon's 65+ population are food insecure. Hunger at any age is unacceptable and this problem can be solved. AARP Foundation's Drive to End Hunger works to keep
vulnerable low-income people age 50+ from falling into poverty or to help them climb out. AARP Oregon is partnering with local hunger outreach groups to stock shelves at food banks and to bring this issue to the forefront and to find long-term solutions to the problem of hunger.

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(Contact Oregon: Jerry Cohen, State Director, JCohen@aarp.org, 503-513-7373, www.facebook.com/AARPOregon, www.twitter.com/AARPOR, www.aarp.org/or)

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