RI State Budget must address long term care staffing crisis – Herb Weiss

A nurse is talking to an elderly woman in a chair.

by Herb Weiss, contributing writer on aging issues As Rhode Island and states throughout the country loosen COVID-19 mask restrictions with the number of new coronavirus cases dropping by more than 75% since the highs in mid-January, and hospital admissions and death rates declining, AARP Rhode Island warns that now is the time to take…

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Calls for Rhode Island to become more “Age Friendly” – Herb Weiss

A group of people with their hands raised in the air.

By Herb Weiss, contributing writer on aging issues On Aug. 3, 2020, The Decade of Healthy Aging 2020-2030 proposal was endorsed by the 73rd World Health Assembly. It was presented to the U.N. General Assembly Dec. 14, 2020, (Resolution 75/131), leading to the proclamation of a U.N. Decade of Healthy Aging (2021-2030). The four-page Resolution expressed concern…

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AARP Rhode Island Volunteer State President  

A man in a gray suit and black turtleneck smiles.

AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor today named Marcus Mitchell of Providence as Volunteer State President, succeeding Phil Zarlengo, whose term ends Dec. 31. “We are extremely excited and so fortunate to welcome Marcus into this vital position,” Taylor said. “Volunteers are the lifeblood of AARP in Rhode Island and adding his experience and…

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Watching over Nursing Homes once again – time for mandated Boosters – Herb Weiss

RINewsToday

by Herb Weiss, contributing writer on aging issues Colder weather is keeping people more indoors now, and Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas gatherings are drawing people together in groups, small and large. Like other states across the country, Rhode Island is seeing a growing transmission of the COVID-19 Delta, and now Omicron variants. Some national sources say…

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Social Security learns from remote experience, plans field office openings – Herb Weiss

A stack of papers on a wooden table.

By Herb Weiss, contributing writer on aging issues On March 17, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly spread throughout the nation, the Social Security Administration  (SSA) issued a press release announcing that its offices would only offer phone service and online services. However, in-person appointments at SSA were scheduled for critical issues, specifically for those who were without…

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