Your Health ; In the News
$3,267 Average monthly expenses for a couple age 65-plus with a mortgage.
Viviette Applewhite has marched for civil rights and has voted in nearly every
presidential election since 1960. ; “I believe
in saying what I think,” says Applewhite, 93, of
Philadelphia. She has two words for Pennsylvania’s strict new voter photo ID law: “It stinks.”
; Applewhite is lead plaintiff in a state court
lawsuit challenging the law, which requires
voters to show a photo ID. She says she fears
that she and other older adults will be turned
away from the polls because they
lost, or never had, birth certificates,
which are needed to obtain photo
IDs. ; The lawsuit was filed by the
ACLU of Pennsylvania and other
groups in May. It contends that the law imposes a heavy burden on voters and asks the
Commonwealth Court to block enforcement
for the November election. A hearing is set for
July 25. Pennsylvania is one of 30 states with
voter ID requirements of some kind for 2012.
; State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R), the law’s chief
sponsor, did not return calls seeking comment.
; Applewhite lost her birth certificate and So-
Longtime Voter, 93,
Challenges ID Law
The Poll
; Viviette Applewhite thinks strict
voter ID laws pose
an unfair burden.
cial Security card years ago when
her purse was stolen. She finally received a birth certificate after the
lawsuit was filed. ; But that’s not
the end of her worries, says Witold Walczak, legal director of the Pennsylvania ACLU. To get a
photo ID, Applewhite also needs a Social Security card, and she’ll need to make a trip in her
wheelchair to a Social Security office, he says.
; “What we’re finding is this law disproportionately affects the elderly who no longer
drive and have mobility problems,” Walczak
says. —Marsha Mercer
; How safe do you currently feel living in your home? 74 22%
Very safe
Somewhat
safe
Somewhat
unsafe
Very unsafe
2%
1%
; Respondents 50+
who say the following home features
are important;
percentage who
actually have them:
WATCH a news report on voter ID.
Download a free app to read QR codes,
then scan this code with your smartphone. Or go to
aarp.org/voterid.
Easing a Burden
For Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs is making it easier for vets to provide medical information supporting their disability claims. ; Veterans’
medical care providers can now download any of
71 forms for specific conditions at benefits.va.gov/
transformation/disabilityexams/. The provider
completes the form (called a disability benefits
questionnaire) and sends it to a VA regional office.
; The VA plans to further simplify the process
for clinicians by creating a secure portal by the end of 2012 for completing
and submitting disability benefits
questionnaires online. —Judi Hasson
Important Have
Working smoke
detector on every floor
98 92%
Fire extinguisher
in kitchen
94 65%
Well-lighted stairways
92 72%
Grab bars in
bathtub or shower
77 48%
Handrails in stairways
91% 67 %
Study of 1,021 adults age 18 and over conducted by
SSRS, May 23-27, 2012.
