State News ; Mid-Atlantic
; North Carolina
On stage A play about a caregiver coping with a loved one’s Alzheimer’s disease
could draw a diverse crowd to events
sponsored by the Forget Me Not Project—
including a health fair, prayer breakfast and
gala fundraiser March 16-17 in Winston-Salem. ; While everyone is welcome
to attend, the project has reached out to
include members of African American faith
communities. Blacks age 75 and older are
almost twice as likely to get the disease as
whites in that age group, according to a
2011 report from the Alzheimer’s Association. ; Playwright Garrett Davis, who was
raised by a grandmother who developed
Alzheimer’s, included humorous and informative references to AARP in the script.
Debra Tyler-Horton of AARP will conduct
a workshop for family caregivers. ; For
details or to find out how to schedule similar
events in your community, go to aarp.org/nc.
features in all publicly funded projects. The
county ordinance would offer incentives to
builders to include such design elements in
new homes. ; AARP encourages members
to contact state legislators and New Castle
County Council members to urge them
to support these measures. For contact
information and an AARP brochure about
universal design, go to aarp.org/de.
; New Jersey
Cross check At the request of a coalition
led by AARP New Jersey, the state is checking the list of people enrolled in its prescription drug program to see who also might
qualify for help with grocery costs. As a result, more than 30,000 people have enrolled
in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program, or SNAP (formerly known as the
food stamp program). ; AARP is urging state
officials to continue cross-checking the list
of people eligible for the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled program
to see if they also are eligible for SNAP. Go to
aarp.org/nj, facebook.com/AARPNewJersey
or mynjhelps.org to learn more.
; Virginia
Race for food AARP members will
cheer the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger
car in Martinsville on April 1, as NASCAR
Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon exhorts
the crowd to “leave hunger in the dust.”
; About 10 percent of Virginia households have struggled in recent years to put
enough food on the table, and 16 percent
of Virginians age 60-plus are eligible for
federal food assistance, according to the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. More than
912,000 Virginians are forced to choose
between buying groceries or paying the
rent or mortgage, transportation costs or
medical bills, according to the Federation
of Virginia Food Banks. ; For more information, go to drivetoendhunger.org.
Median age of residents in each state, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Coming of Age
SOURCE: U. S. CENSUS BUREAU
Ala. 37. 9
Alaska 33. 8
Ariz. 35. 9
Ark. 37. 4
Calif. 35. 2
Colo. 36.1
Conn. 40.0
Del. 38. 8
D.C. 33. 8
Fla. 40.7
Ga. 35. 3
Hawaii 38. 6
Idaho 34. 6
Ill. 36. 6
Ind. 37.0
Iowa 38.1
Kan. 36.0
Ky. 38.1
La. 35. 8
Maine 42. 7
Md. 38.0
Mass. 39.1
Mich. 38. 9
Minn. 37. 4
Miss. 36.0
Mo. 37. 9
Nev. 36. 3
N.H. 41.1
N.J. 39.0
N.M. 36. 7
N.Y. 38.0
N.C. 37. 4
N.D. 37.0
Ohio 38. 8
Okla. 36. 2
Ore. 38. 4
Pa. 40.1
P.R. 36. 9
R.I. 39. 4
S.C. 37. 9
S.D. 36. 9
Tenn. 38.0
Texas 33. 6
Utah 29. 2
Vt. 41. 5
Va. 37. 5
Wash. 37. 3
W.Va. 41. 3
Wis. 38. 5
Wyo. 36. 8
“Middle”
age of
America
; Delaware
Better by design State lawmakers
and the New Castle County Council have
proposed measures calling for universal
design features in new construction. Such
features—including wide doorways, a
no-step entry and easy-to-use door levers—
could help more Delawareans age in place.
; The state legislation (HB 426) would
require builders to include universal design
; District of Columbia
Intergenerational win A program
proven to improve children’s reading
skills and volunteers’ lives is under way
in the District. AARP Experience Corps
volunteers are serving as literacy tutors at
Garrison, Orr, Kenilworth and Thomas elementary schools. ; The program operates
in 19 cities across the nation, and a study by
Washington University in St. Louis found
that students working with Experience
Corps tutors gained a 60 percent boost in
literacy skills. In another study, 84 percent
of Experience Corps volunteers said participation increased their motivation, knowledge, confidence and skills. ; To learn
more, go to aarp.org/experiencecorps.
—Reports by Donya Currie
aarp.org/states
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