Older Idahoans have an opportunity to speak with Governor Brad Little next week.

AARP Idaho is hosting a telephone town hall with the governor, providing an opportunity for members to ask questions ahead of the 2025 legislative session.

State Director of AARP Idaho Lupe Wissel said people could have questions about health care, housing affordability, or property taxes, for instance.

"It's a very unique opportunity and one that is not offered to everyone," said Wissel, "and we do this regularly because it is very important that the elected officials do hear the voices of the 50+ community in this state."

The Idaho legislative session starts on January 6. The town hall will be held on November 25 at 3 p.m. Mountain time, 2 p.m. Pacific.

People can join at 866-767-0637 or online at AARP Idaho's Facebook page.

Wissel said AARP Idaho holds town halls with the state's leaders on a regular basis. She said elected officials know it's important to hear from older Idahoans.

"They know that this is a big constituency, large constituency," said Wissel. "They really pay attention to what's happening and they want to make sure that their voices are heard, and they want to listen to what they have to say."

Wissel noted that older Idahoans make up a large voting bloc in the state. She said in the 2022 election, people age 50 and older were 64% of the electorate.

Nearly 630,000 Idahoans are 50 and older.

A new report ranks Colorado as the 15th safest state in the nation for aging in place, tied with Michigan.

A record 4.2 million Americans are expected to reach retirement age this year, and 75% have said they want to stay in their homes as they get older, instead of moving into retirement homes or assisted living, according to AARP's latest data.

Christine Healy, chief growth officer for the senior living technology company Seniorly, the group behind the report, said Colorado's low level of precipitation helped push the state toward the top of the list.

"If we think about what makes a city walkable or accessible for an older adult, you really want to minimize the level of hazards," Healy explained. "Dry, safe walkways are great places for older adults."

Utah, North Dakota and New Jersey took the top three spots. North Carolina, Kentucky and Florida rounded out the bottom three. Healy noted generally, the best states for aging in place make it easier to get around, stay healthy and feel supported. States lagging behind tend to lack support in critical areas including health care access, home care services, and community-level resources.

The number of people aged 65 and older is projected to grow from 63 million this year to just over 82 million by 2050, a 26% increase. Cost is considered to be the greatest factor in retirement planning and staying home can be far less expensive than entering a retirement community or long-term care facility.

Healy believes aging in place can be good for those who can stay socially engaged and active.

"That's not always the case," Healy acknowledged. "A lot of older adults are aging in place on their own, they're becoming more socially isolated, they're not leaving the house as much."

Colorado ranks 12th nationally for both the timeliness of emergency care and the use of smart technologies in the home. But the state ranks 42nd nationally for high housing costs and 38th for access to home meal delivery. Other factors considered in the report include road safety, local walkability and the quality and availability of home health care.


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Iowa has joined a growing network that provides comprehensive and social service resources to the state's unpaid family caregivers.

Nationwide, 48 million people provide caregiving assistance to loved ones who need help due to illness, injury, or other challenges.

Thanks to a recent expansion, Iowa is now one of twenty-five states served by the 211 Caregiver Support Program - which AARP Iowa State Director Michael Wagler said connects caregivers with a wide variety of help, even if the caller doesn't know exactly what they're looking for.

"It's really a no wrong door mentality," said Wagler. "And so they can get access and resources to on the ground care providers like area agencies on aging or hospital resources that they may not be aware of. Sometimes, it's a point of reference for online resources."

AARP and United Way Worldwide created the Caregiver Support Program to address the number one need for family caregivers - navigating the system to find relevant caregiving resources and local support.

Wagler added that the 211 program, which is a free 24/7 helpline, connects callers with local resources and nearby services for caregivers.

"Whether that be through AARP or other care providers," said Wagler. "On connecting to resources, to local support groups to a gateway into other resources throughout their communities. And that's the nice thing about the 211 program - it is both comprehensive and catered to where the caller is calling from."

Originally launched in 2021, the program now covers 25 states with plans for more growth.

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month and new research examined the connection between dementia and awareness about money management skills.

Some 17,000 South Dakotans aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's disease, and another 17% of residents age 45 and older have what's known as subjective cognitive decline.

Ian McDonough, associate professor of psychology at Binghamton University in New York and the study's co-author, said people with dementia are unaware if they are making errors in handling their bank accounts and other financial tasks. For those without cognitive decline, awareness improved over time.

"When you're aware of those declines, you can adapt," McDonough pointed out. "You can ask for help, you can use calculators. If you're not aware, you might be going on your daily business, doing some mental arithmetic and then that's when those errors might be introduced."

McDonough noted it increases their vulnerability to fraud at a time when Americans, including older adults, are losing more money to scammers. He stressed preventive efforts by caregivers are important so people with dementia can avoid being taken advantage of and still have some autonomy over their finances.

If this type of conversation is needed between a person with dementia and a loved one, McDonough advised it is best to take a measured approach in adding safeguards instead of completely taking control of the person's finances right away. He added a person's relationship with the money they have earned is part of their identity, and making any moves requires preserving their sense of dignity.

"They're not gone (and) we shouldn't treat them like they don't live in society anymore," McDonough explained.

He noted diving in too fast could also be trouble for the relative taking charge if they are unfamiliar with things like investment portfolios. Added precautions could include signing up for extra alerts from a bank or imposing certain withdrawal limits. Next up for researchers is learning how e-banking complicates matters, with tasks like remembering complex login passwords.


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