News From New Hampshire

AARP in Your State

November 2009

Nurses needed — AARP New Hampshire is participating in an effort to address a nursing shortage and improve health care in the region by bolstering nursing education. Twelve nursing schools and nine health care facilities in the state are working with foundations, state agencies and other organizations to attract nursing faculty and coordinate training for the next generation of nurses. The New Hampshire Postsecondary Commission recently listed nursing education as one of the state's top priorities.

AARP's role is to ensure that these efforts address the needs of an aging population. "The shortage of nursing faculty is a bottleneck to educating new nurses," says Kelly Clark, AARP state director. "Without intervention, this trend would compromise quality of care." To learn more, go to www.aarp.org/nh.

September 2009

Penny-wise services — Denouncing cuts to funding for volunteer efforts as pound-foolish, AARP aims to safeguard programs that rely on volunteers to help people who are homebound, for example, by driving them to doctors' appointments or delivering hot meals. These programs—which allow many residents to continue to live independently—cost the state $320,000 a year but draw $1.8 million in federal funds while providing 755,000 hours of service.

Although the programs are fully funded for 2010, lawmakers slashed the funding by half for 2011, which puts the federal funds in peril. Without this funding, AARP advocates say, the programs could either disappear or require funding from local communities, whose budgets are stretched thin.

To stay informed, go to www.aarp.org/nh.

July-August 2009

Managing meds — State health educators and other community leaders can order a free teaching kit from AARP New Hampshire called Wise Up on Meds, designed to help residents keep track of their medications and avoid dangerous drug interactions.

The kit comes with everything that senior centers, hospitals, schools of nursing, pharmacies and others need for a one-hour presentation, including a message on video from a geriatrics physician. Participants learn how to keep an up-to-date personal medication record, how to prepare for a doctor visit, which questions to ask health care providers, and how using generic drugs can save money.

Those interested in ordering the Wise Up on Meds kit should e-mail jbulen@aarp.org. AARP New Hampshire members looking for tips and tools for managing their meds can visit www.aarp.org/nh.