News You Can Use, From AARP

On July 21, AARP Florida will reach out to African-Americans in the Tallahassee area on two important issues: Social Security and helping older residents of Haiti recover from the earthquake. AARP Florida’s Dr. Thelma Nolan will host a radio interview on “News You Can Use,” from AARP, the association’s monthly radio show on WTAL-AM.

Dr. Nolan’s first July topic, Social Security, could hardly be more important for older African-Americans in Tallahassee or anywhere else. According to the Social Security Administration, three of every four African- American households getting benefits rely on Social Security for half or more of their income. Some 40 percent rely on the program for all their income, compared to 20 percent of all Floridians age 65 and above. Yet, as Social Security gets ready for its 75th birthday on Aug. 14, many older African-Americans may not know that some in Washington are suggesting changes to Social Security to reduce the federal operating budget deficit.

AARP strongly opposes this idea. While the budget deficit absolutely needs to be tackled, it’s important to remember Social Security hasn’t contributed one dime to the federal deficit. Instead, any changes to Social Security should focus on keeping Social Security strong for current and future generations, AARP believes. To learn more, see http://www.aarp.org/work/ social-security/ .

Dr. Nolan also will invite experts to discuss the special challenges facing older Haitians as that Caribbean nation struggles to rebuild after the devastating January 12 earthquake. Even before the earthquake, many older Haitians struggled economically – Haiti offers few benefits for older residents and life expectancy there is 61 years of age, compared to 78 years of age in the U.S. To help with these efforts, AARP has teamed up with HelpAge, an international relief organization.

To help, please go to http://www.aarp.org/aarpfoundation/ . Tune in to AM 1450 at 2:30 p.m. for “News You Can Use, From AARP.”

Paid for by AARP Florida.