PORT ORCHARD, Wash. – Two projects in Washington state have been selected for the 2018 AARP Community Challenge grant program.

The Community Challenge, now in its second year, awards funding for projects that make cities more livable for people of all ages.

The Seattle Neighborhood Greenways project is helping to make an area of north Seattle more walkable, and Kitsap County is using the grant to renovate a community space for the region's tiny home village.

Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido says the project is helping folks recognize they have neighbors in need and is also bringing community members together.

"It's helped build a sense of community across several layers of our community and so that we're building community in a different sense than we had before and it's really fabulous," Garrido states.

The community room will provide space for village members to cook and participate in social activities such as education and wellness classes.

The pilot community will have about 14 tiny homes. The village is a project of Homes for All, a Kitsap County coalition of government agencies, the faith community and businesses to provide tiny homes to residents in need.

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Director Gordon Padelford says his organization is looking for cheap solutions for making neighborhoods pedestrian friendly. He says at the current rate of funding, it would take Seattle 300 years to build out all of its sidewalks.

He adds that neighborhoods without sidewalks can be intimidating for children and that older Washington pedestrians are disproportionately affected by collisions with cars.

The greenways project will calm traffic on neighborhood streets through speed humps, diverters and other inexpensive solutions.

"Thereby creating a safe enough neighborhood that folks feel like they can walk in and garden in the front yard and let their kids go to the neighbor's house and play and all that sort of thing that we want to see," Padelford explains.

Amanda Frame, associate director of community outreach for AARP Washington, says work on these projects already is under way.

"This is just allowing both of these particular projects to be able to leverage funding from AARP to really act as a catalyst to improve what they're already working on and taking quick-action steps to be able to build momentum within the community," she explains.

In total, AARP will distribute $1.3 million dollars to 129 projects across the country. Projects must be completed by Nov. 5.


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ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Two Maryland men have received AARP Maryland's highest honors for folks age 50 and older for giving back to their communities, one by helping veterans cut through bureaucracy and the other by getting food to people in need.

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Curtis "Gunny" Jones won the Maryland State President's Award for steering fellow veterans through the VA system to get benefits. Jones said many veterans come home after serving with issues such as PTSD or exposure to chemicals such as Agent Orange. He pointed out that they need extra support but often don't know where to turn to get it.

"As a whole, the system works. It's not broken," he said. "The average veteran doesn't know that he rates VA health care. So, if you don't know to go to the VA and seek health care, you don't get it. And people don't know that - so they suffer because of a lack of knowledge."

In the past 10 years, mostly through word of mouth, Jones has helped folks across the country - and as far away as the Netherlands - submit claims for health support, from medical treatment to wheelchair ramps. The awards, to him - and to Sanjay Srivastava for his food-distribution efforts in Howard County - were presented in a virtual ceremony Thursday.

Srivastava won this year's AARP Andrus Award for Community Service. He said he also began by using word of mouth to feed hungry Marylanders in Ellicott City when he saw the need firsthand during the pandemic. Through his Indian Cultural Association, he organized a large group of volunteers to distribute food, totaling more than 2 million pounds as of May.

"I've had 14-year-old kids call me and say, 'Hey, are you the food guy?' And I say, 'Sure.' And they say, 'We have no food.' And they're calling on behalf of their parents or their neighbors," he said. "And these are kids. And so, we owe it to one another to stand up and do something about it."

The group sets up food stations at libraries, senior housing and churches in Howard County. Food distribution in the state has surged more than 85% in the pandemic, according to the Maryland Food Bank.

There's more information on the Indian Cultural Association's Facebook page.

SEATTLE - A new survey finds support for the first-of-its-kind long-term care program set up by Washington state.

Under the WA Cares Fund, Washingtonians will have access to $36,500, adjusted for inflation, to pay for care services when they retire. The AARP survey found 51% of Washingtonians support the program, but Cathy MacCaul, advocacy director for AARP Washington, noted that support goes up as people find out more about the fund, such as the fact that they don't keep paying for it once they retire.

"As the voters learned that you're not going to be excluded by pre-existing conditions, you can pay a family caregiver, men and women pay the same," she said, "that significantly increased the favorability of the WA Cares program."

MacCaul said seven in 10 adults age 65 and older will require some type of assistance to live independently as they age. Some opponents of the program have said it doesn't offer enough coverage.

MacCaul said there are likey some details about private long-term policies of which people aren't aware.

"Consumers should be aware of buying a policy and what they are paying into and how much they're paying into the policy," she said, "because the premium payments don't stop when you retire."

MacCaul said people often don't think about long-term care until they need it and have some misconceptions on how they will afford it. She said three-quarters of the people surveyed incorrectly believe Medicare or private insurance would pay for long-term care in a nursing home. She said they have other impressions as well.

"Almost 80% mistakenly thought that they would be able to use Medicare or private health insurance for a paid family caregiver to help them with dressing or bathing, etc.," she said.

Beginning in 2022, workers will pay 58 cents for every $100 they make into the WA Cares Fund. They will have access to the fund in 2025.

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Older North Dakotans are being bombarded with reminders about Medicare enrollment. While it is tempting to block out some messaging, state officials said there is important information that could help save money on prescription drug costs.

Enrollment for Medicare 'Part D,' for people already on Medicare, begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7.

Karri Morris, Medicare State Health Insurance Counseling manager for the North Dakota Insurance Department, said there are few significant changes to the process this year, but enrollees should still see if there is a better drug plan for them.

"If they have medications that they are taking, they will want to review and compare the overall costs of the prescription plan, rather than just looking at the premium costs," Morris advised.

She pointed out people too often focus on premium costs and overlook big changes in out-of-pocket expenses for their medications. And with national celebrities doing television ads for services such as Medicare Advantage, Morris cautioned some of what is being offered either might not be available to them, or would not meet their needs.

Locally, Sanford Health is offering a new Medicare Advantage plan, but it is only available in select counties, which Morris contended is why it is important to reach out to the Insurance Department and speak with a counselor. They are scheduling appointments now, and Morris said it is best not to wait.

"You don't want to wait until the end of open enrollment," Morris cautioned. "At that time, they can encounter long wait times, or take the risk of missing the deadline of getting enrolled into a new plan."

Josh Askvig, state director for AARP North Dakota, said scammers will not be taking a break this year, either. He urged people to be mindful of anyone who might call or email and sound helpful, but really is not.

"They try and use that open enrollment period to heighten awareness, and they'll call and say, you know, 'In order to enroll, you need to pay this small fee,'" Askvig explained.

He said neither the state nor Medicare officials will call with such a message. Appointments for Medicare counseling can be scheduled on the Insurance Department's website, or by calling 888-575-6611.