Mobile billboard advocating for affordable medications travels through Roanoke
Imagine struggling to pay for life-saving prescriptions. Thatโs what one Roanoke man is experiencing. He and others are asking Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to sign a bill thatโd make medications more affordable in the Commonwealth.
Foundations, major donors tackle nationโs nursing shortage
As more nurses leave their jobs in hospitals and health-care centers, foundations are pouring millions of dollars into efforts to ensure that more stay in the profession and get more out of the job than just the applause and pats on the back they got during the bleakest days of the pandemic.
Virginia nursing homes see fewer COVID-19 cases, deaths but other issues remain, data shows
While the number of new COVID-19 deaths and cases have fallen in Virginia nursing homes, an AARP analysis revealed that there are still some major problems that need to be addressed. The AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard, which analyzes federally reported data in four-week intervals dating back to June 2020, found that resident deaths in nursing homes were more than a third lower in the four weeks ending on Feb. 14 in comparison to the prior period. At the same time, new infections and deaths in nursing homes are still more than twice as high as they were in the summer of 2020, as Virginiaโs nursing home COVID-19 death rate is the 2nd highest in the nation. โWhile we are encouraged by the downward trend in nursing home deaths, we continue to see disgracefully high numbers of cases and deaths in Virginiaโs nursing homes and long-term care facilities compared to the rest of the country,โ said AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau. In order to keep nursing homes safe, AARP Virginia is urging state lawmakers to:
Clooney, 'Billie Holiday' among AARP movie award honorees
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Andra Day in "The United States vs Billie Holiday." (Takashi Seida/Paramount Pictures via AP)โThe United States vs. Billie Holiday,โ โMinari,โ โDa 5 Bloodsโ and โOne Night in Miamiโ are among the films AARP is honoring at its annual Movies for Grownups Awards, the nonprofit organization said Thursday. Director Lee Danielsโ โThe United States vs. Billie Holiday,โ starring Andra Day as the jazz singer, was named best picture, while the Korean American family drama โMinariโ got best intergenerational film. โWe focus on films made by and for grownups,โ said Tim Appelo, the film and television critic for AARP. Catherine OโHara took best actress for โSchittโs Creek,โ Mark Ruffalo got best actor for โI Know This Much is Trueโ and โThis Is Usโ was named best series.
Older workers face higher unemployment amid virus pandemic
In every recession since the 1970s, older workers had persistently lower unemployment rates than midcareer workers โ partly because of seniority benefits. But in the current recession, older workers experienced higher unemployment rates than midcareer workers in each month since the onset of the pandemic. The older workersโ unemployment rates from April through September were 1.1 percentage points higher than mid-career workers โ at 9.7% versus 8.6%. โThe higher rate of unemployment for older workers might be because this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for employers to shed older workers and not fear investigation by the labor department," Ghilarducci said. The researchers who conducted the new study recommended that Congress increase and extend unemployment benefits for older workers, discourage withdrawals from retirement accounts, lower Medicare eligibility to 50 and create a federal Older Workers Bureau to promote the welfare of older workers.
Glenn Close to receive honorary AARP Purpose Prize award
LOS ANGELES โ Glenn Close will receive an honorary AARP award for her work with a charity that brings awareness to mental illness. AARP announced Tuesday that Close will be the first to receive an honorary Purpose Prize Award during a virtual ceremony on Dec. 3. Five individuals will awarded the AARP Purpose Prize, which honors people ages 50 and older who โtap into the power of life." Each prize winner will receive a $50,000 award for their organization. AARP said 10 Purpose Prize fellows will also be honored.
Report: Drug prices for seniors again rise faster than inflation
This is lower than the drug price increases observed in previous years, but it's a tepid improvement. Republicans have long opposed allowing the government to negotiate drug prices. Trump, who campaigned on a promise to lower drug prices, has said in the past that drug companies were "getting away with murder." During Azar's tenure with Lilly, the company was accused of routinely increasing drug prices. 'This is simply unsustainable'AARP's Purvis noted that increasing drug prices don't just impact the people who take them.
Town of Bedford to get new bike racks, benches, trash cans in downtown
BEDFORD, Va. - Drive through the town of Bedford and there's no doubt you'll see plenty of people walking to get downtown. Town leaders say the money will help put new bike racks downtown and benches and trash cans along The Loop, a path walkers take around the old Bedford Middle School. Town leaders also want to see cyclists riding in downtown. We don't have bike lanes downtown, so it's going to be helping them feel more safe," Zirkle said. Inspired by bike racks in Lynchburg and other cities across the country, town leaders say this will be a community project and all ideas are needed because they've got a short deadline.