Today the U.S. Senate blocked critical  legislation to protect access to doctors for the 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare.  The Medicare Physician Fairness Act (S. 1776) would have replaced today’s broken doctor payment system, which calls for a 21.5 percent cut in physician pay in January.  The bill failed to pass a key procedural vote in the Senate today.

“While we are disappointed by today’s outcome, we applaud those senators casting a yes vote for voting to preserve access to doctors in Medicare and bring this bill to the floor for an up-or-down vote,” said AARP Tennessee Advocacy Director Patrick Willard.  “This critical legislation would have helped the millions of older Americans in Medicare have access to the doctor of their choice by replacing the flawed doctor payment system.  We look forward to continuing to work with Senators Alexander and Corker and their colleagues to pass health care reform that protects Medicare and ensures older Americans can afford quality health care.”

Willard added: “We are disappointed that Senators Alexander and Corker voted to block this important Medicare bill from open debate and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.  This bill would permanently replace the broken Medicare physician payment system so people in the program could continue to see their doctor.”

AARP strongly supports the Medicare Physician Fairness Act, introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).  This legislation permanently repeals Medicare’s flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment formula, which has required repeated Congressional action to prevent unwarranted cuts that could harm access to doctors for people in Medicare.  Repealing the SGR will stop an unprecedented 21.5 percent pay cut that otherwise will occur in January 2010, and additional cuts in future years.

AARP notified the 111^th Congress that it was tracking roll call votes on key legislation important to its 40 million members and reporting the outcomes of these votes back to its members. “We believe people make the right choices when they understand the issues and position taken by their elected officials.  AARP intends to ensure that its members get that information,” Willard concluded.

About AARP

With more than 700,000 members in Tennessee, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org.  AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Nashville – Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely joined representatives from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, Department of Safety, Department of Health, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, AARP, AAA Auto Club South, and a number of other highway safety partners to sign a new Strategic Highway Safety Plan for Tennessee on Wednesday, September 30. The goal of the new plan is to reduce the number of fatalities in Tennessee by 10% by 2012.

“Working together, we have the ability to make dramatic strides in making Tennessee’s roads safer,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “As a major partner in this effort, TDOT is increasing its focus on implementing improvements that can make roadways safer, like cable barrier rail, high visibility pavement markings, and improved directional signs.”

Officials from TDOT, Department of Safety, Governor's Highway Safety Office, Department of Health, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, AARP, AAA Auto Club South, Walk/Bike Nashville and several other key safety partners pause after signing the new Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

The Strategic Highway Safety Plan brings together a number of agencies to work toward the common goal of reducing the number of people killed or injured in highway crashes in Tennessee each year.

GHSO Director Kendell Poole highlighted the success of the 2006-2008 Strategic Highway Safety Plan. “The good news is the number of deadly crashes in Tennessee dropped nearly 14% between 2007 and 2008. The bad news is there were still more than 1,000 people who died in crashes in our state last year. We want to see that number decline even more and are pledging today to reduce fatal crashes by another 10% by 2012.”

The new Strategic Highway Safety Plan again focuses on the four “E’s”: Education, Enforcement, Engineering, and Emergency Response, with a goal of having fewer than 900 fatalities on Tennessee highways by 2012. The new plan also includes a new program designed to educate senior drivers. When crash and fatality rates are calculated, older drivers, much like teen drivers, are over-represented.

Department of Safety Deputy Commissioner Greta Dajani, surrounded by key safety partners, signs the new Strategic Highway Safety Plan

“All drivers, whether it’s teens just learning to drive or seniors who’ve been driving for decades, need to be consistently reminded about safe driving practices and updated on new traffic laws,” said Department of Safety Deputy Commissioner Greta Dajani. “The new Senior Driver Safety Education Program will give seniors the information they need to stay up to date on new traffic laws and other safety measures they can take to improve their driving skills.”

TDOT worked with members of the Coalition for the Enhancement of Senior Drivers to develop two handbooks for seniors and their family members or care givers. The books are designed to help facilitate an open dialog about the challenges and opportunities facing senior drivers today.

The Tennessee Strategic Highway Safety Plan was developed by a committee made up of representatives from TDOT, TDOS, FHWA, FMCSA, and the GHSO. Some of the strategies outlined by the committee include safety conscious planning with the aging population in mind:

• Improved signs and highway markings
• Stakeholder partnerships
• Improved highway components and work zones
• Education and Awareness Programs

The Tennessee Strategic Highway Safety Plan will be guided and monitored by the Commissioners of Transportation and Safety, as well as the Federal Highway Administration. To view the entire Strategic Highway Safety Plan and the two manuals developed for senior drivers and their families and caregivers, please visit www.tn.gov/tdot/incident/default.htm.

TDOT Chief Engineer Paul Degges, surrounded by key safety partners, signs the new Strategic Highway Safety Plan

Jackson – During AARP Tennessee’s first tele-town hall, thousands of AARP members who live in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District got the chance to hear directly from their congressman, U.S. Rep. John Tanner, about what’s happening with health care reform legislation.

Congressman John Tanner

“I believe the guiding principle in this debate should be this: We need to fix the parts of the health care system that are broken and keep the parts that work,” said Tanner, who plays a key role in the debate as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, during the hour-long call on Monday August 17th. “Make health care available for those [who don’t have coverage] and achieve these goals in a responsible way.”

The AARP has not endorsed any of the comprehensive bills pending before Congress but is working hard with lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle to ensure that any legislation that is passed strengthens and improves Medicare, protects our health care choices, ends discrimination by insurance companies and guarantees stable affordable coverage for all Americans.

The tele-town hall was moderated by AARP Tennessee Advocacy Director Patrick Willard. AARP has hosted several tele-town hall events in other parts of the country during the past two years, including one last month with President Obama at the national office in Washington, D.C., but this was a first for the Tennessee office.

“It was a great opportunity to allow thousands of our members to communicate directly with their congressman from the comfort of their own homes,” said AARP Tennessee State President Margot Seay, who participated in the call from her home in Kingsport.

“They’re hungry for the truth about what health care reform will mean to them, and they want to share their thoughts and concerns. We are thrilled that we could make it so easy for them to participate in this discussion in the 8th Congressional District, and look forward to hosting similar tele-town halls in other areas of the state.”

For more information about AARP’s health care reform efforts, visit www.HealthActionNow.org or www.aarp.org/tn.

About AARP

With more than 700,000 members in Tennessee, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

2009 Legislative Session Ends With New Choices for Care

NASHVILLE – During the 2009 legislative session, state lawmakers agreed with AARP’s members and volunteers that Tennesseans need quality first in our long-term care system and that we deserve “more choices for care,” AARP Tennessee State Director Rebecca Kelly said.

During the waning days of the session, the Legislature unanimously approved The Adult Care Homes Act, a bill endorsed by AARP that creates a new housing option for people who receive long-term care services but don’t want to live in large nursing homes.

“This is major progress in AARP’s decade-long effort to provide options in a state that ranks last in the nation in home and community-based alternatives,” Kelly said.

“It’s fitting that one year after Gov. Phil Bredesen signed the `Long-Term Care Community Choices Act,’ lawmakers gave us a new choice that allows us to remain in our communities when we cannot stay in our homes,”  she said. “AARP looks forward to working with legislators next year to create more of these choices for care.”

AARP advocacy volunteers also convinced lawmakers to address quality first in Tennessee nursing homes. A bill that would have restricted the legal rights of nursing home residents failed in a House subcommittee after AARP advocates testified about their concerns and issued a new report on the quality of care and litigation in nursing homes.*

“We hope to continue to work with representatives of the nursing home industry on legislation that will accomplish their goals and ours: lowering litigation costs so that more money and attention can be spent on the care of this state’s frailest and neediest residents,” Kelly said.

Rebecca Kelly, AARP Tennessee State Director listens during a hearing

State lawmakers also passed a measure in the final hours of the session aimed at improving the quality of health care in Tennessee.

The legislation creates a health information database and Health Information Committee to provide valuable information on health practices and care. The database will allow the Division of Health Planning to analyze anonymous health claims from insurance companies across the state and develop policies to improve access, affordability and efficiency of health care in Tennessee.

AARP worked with the administration on the legislation to assure individual health records would remain private and give consumers a voice on the Health Information Committee, which will guide the implementation and use of the database.

Also during the final day of the session, the Legislature agreed to create a special Joint Committee to Study a New Department of Aging and Adult Services, which will examine the way Tennessee provides services to seniors and disabled adults.

The committee will consist of three House and three Senate members and the commissioners of the departments of Human Services, Health, and Finance and Administration. The three commissioners will serve as ex-officio members of the committee. The panel will make recommendations in a report to the General Assembly no later than Feb. 1, 2010.

AARP supported the legislation and will work with the committee to determine ways the state can more efficiently deliver services to our aging population and establish accountability standards for programs that serve the aging and disabled communities.

During the 2009 session, AARP also made strides in:

Consumer protection:

• AARP helped convince lawmakers to study, rather than approve, a bill that would allow natural gas companies to “decouple” rates from the volume of sales as a way to increase conservation and energy efficiency. AARP was concerned that without appropriate safeguards, “decoupling” could result in a shift in business risk to consumers.

Voter protection:

• AARP helped derail an effort to create stricter voter registration requirements. AARP was concerned that the legislation would limit or restrict access to the polls by people who now legally vote but don’t have ready access to certain documents, particularly those who are older, disabled or low-income.

The report on nursing home quality is available through AARP Tennessee’s web site at http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/cs/misc/qualitynursinghomereporttn2009.pdf

About the American Association of Retired Persons

With more than 714,000 members in Tennessee, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NASHVILLE – Nearly one year to the day after Gov. Phil Bredesen signed into law the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act, the Tennessee Legislature is sending him a bill that creates a housing option – adult care homes – that really provide Tennesseans with a new choice.

The Tennessee Senate unanimously approved legislation Tuesday that authorizes adult care homes, small residences operated for two to five people. The 31-0 vote sends the bill, which was approved unanimously by the House last week, to Gov. Phil Bredesen for his signature. The legislation is part of the governor’s 2009 legislative package.

The Adult Care Homes Act was sponsored by Sens. Lowe Finney, Jim Kyle and Charlotte Burks.  In the House, the bill had more than 50 co-sponsors, including Speaker Kent Williams, Speaker Pro Tempore Lois DeBerry and Rep. Dennis Ferguson, who chairs the Legislature’s Long-Term Care Committee.

The bill originally would have allowed caregivers to operate adult care homes for anyone who receives long-term care services, but lawmakers agreed to a compromise that limits the new option to ventilator-dependent and brain-damaged Tennesseans. Sen. Diane Black said the homes would serve the people most in need of such options. However, Finney and other lawmakers who visited similar adult care foster homes in Oregon last year, vow to take up legislation in 2010 that would allow Tennesseans who need less care to live in adult care homes.

“Tennesseans want to age with dignity in the neighborhoods and communities they love, even when they can’t stay home by themselves,’” said AARP Tennessee Advocacy Director Patrick Willard. “This is just the beginning of new choices for home and community-based care in Tennessee. We expect expansion of the adult care home option and other initiatives in the next legislative session.”

A recent AARP report found Tennessee nursing homes are larger than the national average and growing. The report, “Quality Care and Litigation in Tennessee Nursing Homes,” recommended the state promote the construction of smaller alternatives to improve quality in long-term care. The Adult Care Home legislation comes at a critical time as the state prepares to roll out the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act, which will redistribute TennCare funding toward more home and community-based services and was signed into law on June 17, 2008.

About The American Association of Retired People

With more than 714,000 members in Tennessee, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org.  AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation Thursday that authorizes adult care homes, creating a new and needed housing option for Tennesseans who receive long-term care services. AARP encourages the Tennessee Senate to quickly approve the bill, sending it to Gov. Phil Bredesen for his signature. The legislation is part of the governor’s 2009 legislative package.

House Speaker Kent Williams, House Speaker Pro Tempore Lois DeBerry and Rep. Dennis Ferguson, who chairs the Legislature’s Long-Term Care Committee, all spoke in favor of the Adult Care Homes Act, which was approved 94-0 and now has more than 50 House co-sponsors. The three legislative leaders were among a group of lawmakers, state officials and other long-term care advocates who toured similar adult care foster homes in Oregon last year.

AARP Tennessee Advocacy Director Patrick Willard, who participated in that visit, said the homes are hugely popular in Oregon because they allow people to live like families in small residential settings that blend in with other houses.

“Tennesseans want to age with dignity in the neighborhoods and communities they love, even when they can’t stay home by themselves,” Willard said. “This is just the beginning of new choices for home and community-based care in Tennessee. We expect expansion of the adult care home option and other initiatives in the next legislative session.”

The bill originally would have allowed caregivers to operate adult care homes for anyone who receives long-term care services, but lawmakers agreed to a compromise that limits the new option to ventilator-dependent and brain-damaged Tennesseans. Ferguson and other lawmakers vowed to take up legislation next year that would allow people who need less care to live in adult care homes.

A recent AARP report found Tennessee nursing homes are larger than the national average and growing. The report, “Quality Care and Litigation in Tennessee Nursing Homes” recommended the state promote the construction of smaller alternatives to improve quality in long-term care. The Adult Care Home legislation comes at a critical time as the state prepares to roll out the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act, which will redistribute TennCare funding toward more home and community-based services.

About The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

With more than 714,000 members in Tennessee, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The primary goal of the conference is to help minority and low income women with self esteem issues, and to instill in women the knowledge that they are not alone, that other people are out there willing to help them.

Denise Thomas giving a presentation on proper dress

While the event was targeted primarily at minority and low income women, it was is open to all. Those who attended the conference were provided access to free health screenings, nutritional information, educational and empowerment classes.

Sponsors included the The Matthew Walker Clinic, Americhoice, Carlos Murgas from Honeycutt Realty, and the City of Clarksville.

Organizational attendees included the Montgomery County Health Department, WIC, TennCare, The Community Health Initiative, AARP, Hope Pregnancy Center, The Legal Aid Society, Centerstone, Montgomery Care and Rehab Safe House, UT Extension Nutrition Education, Victim Advocate for Army Community Services, YWCA, APSU,  Angel Wings, and other local vendors.

Miyo Katchi from the Maxwell Clinic provided a free massage to interested attendee.

Clarksville H.O.P.E. looks forward to your attendance next year.

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The new course, titled Make Age an Asset in Your Job Search, is a six-week seminar that will begin May 20. New sections will be offered beginning the third Wednesday of each month after that. Provided in a convenient, fully online format, the course costs $49.

Based on research and programs developed by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the seminar is a guide for people older than 50 looking to make a career change, find employment opportunities or learn strategies that give them the best chance of getting hired. Students will learn to plan their job search, build resumes, get ready for interviews and take maximum advantage of job openings and offers.

The course offers a realistic look at today’s job market to help older adults identify where their talents and experience will fit, assessing skills and interests for more effective job searching. Students will use the AARP Foundation’s exciting new interest and skills-assessment tool, WorkSearch, to guide self-assessment and highlight job matches. By the end of the course, students will be fully prepared to begin a winning job search.

For details about this and other online-format classes offered through the Center, call (931) 221-7816, or visit the Web site at www.ed2go.com/apsu.

For one night only, both Opry Mills and Nashville’s Green Hills cinemas screened what can only be described as a new kind of horror film, I.O.U.S.A., a Sundance award-winning documentary on the state of the nation’s finances. The picture isn’t pretty.

The film itself is a medley of old political footage, newly taped events, lots of graphics and a occasionally irritating hand held cam in need of a steadier ride. Its opening is an eclectic selection of former Presidents, and current President George W. Bush, making statements about how we must get the economy (read: out of control spending) under control. From Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, the first G. Bush, Clinton and the current White occupant, we hear the same noise.

Robert Bixby on the economy

Led by a giant copper penny, we ride a roller coaster of sound bites and budget charts, learning that health care (Medicare and Medicaid) are more of a threat that the surge of baby boomers heading to maturity and social security. We are told that 3% of our gross national product devoted to military spending is not our biggest threat. We are told that the fact that foreign entities hold a huge portion of our indebtedness is really not the crisis we think it is (that didn’t convince me).

What is a threat to our fiscal security as individuals and as a nation? Let’s start with spending. All the panelists agreed that we as individuals and as a nation have to stop spending more than we can afford.  Taken from a skit on Saturday Night Live, Steve Martin makes two quick appearances as a family man grappling with the concept of not buying on credit. That idea combined with the need for a new emphasis on saving were keys to change. The closest America has come to balancing the budget was in 1998 in the Clinton administration, a period when the famous “debt clock” could be shut down. In just eight years under Bush Jr. we are trillions and trillions of dollars in debt.

The film is structured around a road trip, a tour of America called the “Fiscal wake Up Tour.” Robert Bixby, director of the Concord Coalition, and David Walker, the U.S. comptroller general now resigned from that post, travel America with the often dry story of what is wrong with America’s fiscal policies and behavior, and attempting to answer the question “how do we fix it?”

In just eight years, the Bush/Cheney administration turned Clinton's balanced budget into a $9 trillion deficit

It was noted in the film that over two plus centuries of American history we have incurred serious debt, we have always managed to spend it down. What is different this time is the public mindset, which is not in tune with or even knowledgeable about the fact that America is broke. Not just broke, but trillions of dollars in debt. Trillions. Nine trillion dollars. That’s nine with lots of zeros and four commas.

The trade deficit is a second area of concern; we import more than we export, and that sending of American dollars to overseas vendors erodes our financial stability.

In another brief segment, we are told that when it comes to education, our students are at the bottom of an international heap, and without more access to training and motivation to reach higher standards, the chances of rebuilding and sustaining a solid footing in the world is not likely.

The punchline is the indebtedness factor. Children not even born yet will be shouldering tens of thousands of dollars of debt when they are still in diapers, and when or if they graduate from college. Yes, it’s that bad.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After the film screened, Becky Quick of MSNBC posed questions from the audience and from emails sent from across the country. America’s most notable financial leaders and policy experts, including Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway; William Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute; Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP; Pete Peterson, senior chairman of The Blackstone Group and chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation; and Dave Walker, president & CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former U.S. Comptroller General, offered insight and possible solutions to the nations fiscal woes.

Finally, all five panelists agreed that one of the largest, perhaps the largest, issue was the death of leadership. Electing strong leaders, electing leaders who can set aside partisan politics and work together using basic common sense and sound business principles, can put America on the right track again.

Seeing I.O.U.S.A. in tandem with the panel discussion was the best way to see this provocation and scary film. Though on the dry side, I.O.U.S.A. is the kind of film more people need to see, listen to, and think about, particularly with the 2008 Presidential election on the horizon.

In promoting the film, producers write:

I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. As the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire, will there even be any Social Security benefits left to collect? Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.

Throughout history, the American government has found it nearly impossible to spend only what has been raised through taxes. Wielding candid interviews with both average American taxpayers and government officials, Sundance veteran Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) helps demystify the nation’s financial practices and policies. The film follows U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he crisscrosses the country explaining America’s unsustainable fiscal policies to its citizens.

Uncounted: The Movie took a fairly dry subject of black box voting and turned it into a dynamic and passionate film done well enough to inspire political change. I.O.U.S.A. tries to follow that path to success but falls a bit short, a bit flat in the dryness of its subject matter. Granted, they have a more-than-valid concern to play out to the American public, but in the assemblage of suits, ties, talking heads and financial charts they both make a point and occasionally lose viewer interest. Nonetheless, it is a film worth seeing and remembering as we make decisions about who will lead our country out of its financial morass.

This critically-acclaimed documentary film was conceived of, co-written and executive produced by Agora Financial’s Addison Wiggin. In July 2008, the film was acquired by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

AARP is political but non-partisan, and wields considerable influence on state and federal legislation, serving as the voice of their demographics. They do so without endorsing specific candidates and they remain issue oriented.

To educate and inform their membership. AARP publishes a monthly magazine with the largest circulation in America. the March/April edition got my attention with the cover photo of a smiling Jack Nicholson, one of the outstanding actors of our generation.

Besides an insightful article on him, the magazine from cover to cover offers articles with practical information. Two articles in particular that apply to many of us involve dealing with stress: “Riding Out a Recession” and “Finding Faith” (a search for spiritual peace).

For example, the State of Tennessee is promoting reduced taxes for seniors with annual incomes below $24,000. property taxes support city and county infrastructures. Without that income, our schools, law enforcement and social services would be on life support.

This issue gives guidance on property taxes in answer to this question:

“I just got my tax bills, and with home prices dropping, I say my house isn’t worth nearly as much as the town assessorseems to think. What can I do?”

The broad answer, if a citizen appeals, is as follows: “Don’t delay. Gather the evidence,. Hire an appraiser. Look for unique factors.” For a fuller explanation, refer to AARP (Mar/April, p 14; “Lower That Too!”)

Nuggets of helpful, realistic and utilitarian information is disseminated in these pages.

The Clarksville Montgomery County AARP invites all residents age 50 and up to their monthly meetings, which are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. at Hilldale United Methodist Church. Each meeting includes a guest speaker. Through their meetings, one hears first hand the progress in improving and protecting lives of seniors and political actions at the local, state and federal level.

That down time between Christmas turkey and the glitter of the New Year (which I usually view through closed eyelids), is the time I set aside to assess, re-assess, red line discontinued items and add to an ever shape-shifting list of — dreams.

Dreams are just plans that haven’t come true yet.

I take the time to review what worked and didn’t work in the past year. At my age (57), I now pay quite a bit more attention to both my energy level and my stress level, since they feed off each other, and really, it doesn’t matter how well you take care of yourself, for most of us in the AARP range, life lives a bit harder on this side of fifty.

Since I always pay attention to my body, I know what my triggers, my pressure points, are, and what the relief/treatment should be. The basic rule is that you have to take of yourself first, or you will not be fit to take care of anybody else. And yes, there are times when you can’t shift the burden, but I learned some time ago that there is light at the end of every tunnel. Sooner or later, you step into it. And there is this serendipitous world energy that seems to send the right people into one’s life at just the right times. Don’t question; accept the gift.

Having looked back, figured what I did right and what I could have done or handled much better, I try to tuck most of it away and move on. But move on to what?

The puzzle of the the next few years continues to unfold, since there are hopefully a long number of “next few years” still in my life. Thus, I make a one, two and five-year plan.

The one year plan has twelve items, everything from the “find a whole foods or coop market within 100 miles of Clarksville” to “add more green veggies” to my diet (more green? I’ll turn green!). Walk more often and for longer periods. Be more succinct in recording my dreams. Pay attention to detail. Get better at saying NO. Finish my teaching semester (that one is not negotiable). Mentor both granddaughters through those first two years of college. Feed them (buy more food).

My two year plan is a shorter list, a mix of the concrete and my hope. Graduate. Continue (note the word “continue”) to work on that book publishing thing. Move to a place with an office to hide all this paper in. Broaden my social life. Pare down my work life. Take time to do — nothing. Get better at yoga. Look for a liberal, freethinking and arts-centered community that will foster my energy and revitalize me as I much as I can revitalize it.

My five year plan, which now puts me at early retirement age, is shifting drastically. If. in my family hard hit with Alzheimer’s, my mind stays mercifully clear, I would continue to work, to write, to volunteer, and shift the balance of all of that. And I would go to Thailand and back to South America. Not necessarily in that order.

Since I am far from perfect, and do have familial ties and responsibilities, these are hopes, dreams, goal, objectives. I list them knowing full well I have no expectation of succeeding at all of them, or even half of them. The idea is to work toward them. Start to make them happen. Don’t say “I can’t do that so I won’t even try.” Try!

Be realistic too. Gail Sheehy, years ago in her book, Passages, looked at life as a shoe: “the size is the same but the fit is different.”

On my first trip to Peru, my best friend and I joked about being “50, overweight, out of shape asthmatics with bad backs. So what are we doing trying to climb the Andes and breathe at 13,000 feet? Why are we sweating through the Amazonian rainforest? Oh yeah, it’s the adventure of a lifetime!” We went at it with the attitude that we “would do as much as we can and not worry about the rest.” In the end, we did it all, and more. At our own pace.

We change, we grow, and along the way the things we want may change as well.

Resolutions read like a mandate over which will will likely feel guilt at the end of the year. “Goals” take the pressure off. They are a target, a hope, a wish, and something to work toward. Once reached it will be that much sweeter for the effort and the waiting.

Maybe I can’t do it all this year. So what? I’ll be one step closer next year.

• Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower [Albert Camus]
• Life is short! Be swift to love. Make haste to be kind. [Henri Amiel]
• You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come into contact with a new idea. [John Newton]

Stepping outside at 6 a.m. to walk Cassie, our 14 year old pug on this Autumn morning, I feel an invigorating coolness in the air. Even Cassie is livelier with this serious and refreshing dip in temperatures. She is energized.

These cool mornings are signaling a change from the sweltering and torrid weather of summer in Clarksville, one of the most simmering in this area’s recorded history, to a more refreshing and comfortable clime.

This seasonal change typifies our spiritual lives and reminds us that there are seasons and passages and times when things fall away, awaiting the new. Reinforcing this idea the psalmist states: “[the righteous] are the trees planted by streams of water…”

Our trees, our fall reminds us that everything undergoes changes. No living creation stays exactly the same season after season. From season to season our theology, our lives,and our relationships change. often, as we mature, our concepts of God and our spiritual understanding changes.

At one time, I thought that attending church every time the doors were open was a prerequisite to to a vital relationship with the Lord. On my spiritual journey of over five decades, I chose to believe this as a necessary practice for salvation. This concept, though helpful for some, is no longeroperational in my values. I’ve changed, without guilt or fear.

Recitation of the Apostle’s Creed and other creeds are integrated into our religious expression. the declarations on creeds are reassuring; however, we often quietly confess that our understanding of these tenets are no longer as comforting because our beliefs have changed. Some of our dynamic denominations avoid ascribing to creed statements as to what a person believes.

Our relationship changes with the seasons of life as well. Friends for over 50 years become estranged. At times political differences lead to alienation even between the oldest and best of friends. The relationship we call marriage undergoes change over time, as do our bodies and our mental acuities.

As a young man, I often heard about married couples, especially ones married for over 30 years, who begin to look alike. This isn’t likely to be the type of change for the majority, though. Instead, as the years pass, our needs and what is significant changes. People, men and women alike, change in myriad ways physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.

We become really dynamic and tap into spiritual resources as we learn to accept changes that are, after al, inevitable. With such sensitivity, we are starting on the path of reconciliation with ourselves, our spiritual nature and a new dimension of living.

As we welcome the coolness of these Autumn days, we find the change invigorating. Instead of fearing what is different, feeling that change will harm us, we can instead trust the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us to bring us to bring about love, peace, hope and strength.

It’s normal for our tastes to change. For our views, opinions, and thinking to change is just as conventional. We can change without lingering guilt, fear or apprehension.

A prophet questioned his people by addressing them as follows:

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk with your God.”

Asking ourselves this searing question as each quartet of seasons pass will ease the passage and create beneficial change.

Their monthly meetings include informational programs, most recently on St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, whose remarkable service and ministry is available to families and children through our region. One of the goals of the Clarksville AARP is to provide stimulating and thoughtful programs to its local emmbers.

Presently the Chapter, along with all national chapters, are working to sensitize our Congressional leaders to issues of retiremen, medical and financial issues for seniors.

As members, we accept the challenge of informing elected leaders — Senators Corker and Alexander and Representative Blackburn — on the following issues:

• Ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care, including important preventative and patient care and affordable prescription drugs.
• Create additional choices for necessary longterm care services
• Strengthen and protect Social Security for this and all future generations
• Provide greater access to retirement plans, financial incentives to save and tools to better manage finances and help prepare for retirement
• Develop policies to help ensure that all workers — regardless of age — can continue to work and contribute to society.

Seniors are invited to join us at our monthly meetings to volunteer to help American become aware of these goals. AARP is non-partisan and does not have a political action committee (PAC), nor does it endorse political candidates or contribute to political campaigns.

Anyone age 50 and older is welcome to join and participate in the AARP programs and activities. Each meeting include refreshments and an opportunity for fellowship.