Your AARP: Tennessee

June 2009

Safer roads — AARP Tennessee aims to make communities more livable in a state that recently earned a D grade for public transportation because of limited service. In a report card from the American Society for Civil Engineers, the state earned a C overall for parks, roads and transit. Even so, AARP volunteers are pushing for improvements in sidewalks, bike paths and walking paths, as well as expanded bus routes and schedules.

AARP is working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation on a training program for older drivers. In addition, AARP is a member of a task force created by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, D, looking to transform the city—which ranks 444th among 500 in being pedestrian-friendly—into a more accessible community.

To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/tn.

April 2009

Bringing wanderers home — State lawmakers are considering legislation to create a Silver Alert system, which helps protect adults with dementia or other mental impairments from being harmed if they get lost.

Similar to an Amber Alert system, which promptly notifies law enforcement and other agencies when a child goes missing, a Silver Alert is designed to help locate an adult who has wandered away from home or a care facility. All 50 states have Amber Alert systems, while only a dozen have Silver Alerts.

AARP is working with lawmakers to ensure the bills (SB 15, HB 339) protect privacy. In addition, AARP wrote a column for the newspaper the Tennesseean, saying such a system "could make the difference between a happy ending and a tragedy."

To support the measure, contact your lawmakers at www.legislature.state.tn.us.

March 2009

Concerns about care — State lawmakers are expected once again this session to consider limiting court awards for nursing home residents who are abused or neglected. AARP Tennessee opposes the measure, pointing to the state's poor record of nursing home quality.

Nationwide, Tennessee nursing homes rank near the bottom for quality of care, according to a new rating system from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Only 7 percent of the state's nursing homes have the highest rating, while nearly a third have the lowest.

To join AARP's advocacy efforts, tell your legislator you oppose limiting the rights of nursing home residents and their families. For information, go to www.legislature.state.tn.us.

January-February 2009

Prescribing online — In January, the state is launching an online prescription drug program serving residents on the Cumberland Plateau. Consumer advocates, including AARP Tennessee, hope that by 2012, E-Prescribe Tennessee will become a successful statewide program. The idea is to eliminate medical errors and cut costs through a system that allows physicians, pharmacists and other health care providers to fill and monitor prescriptions electronically.

AARP Tennessee and health care leaders from across the state were on hand at a December meeting in Nashville to discuss the new program. Gov. Phil Bredesen, D, co-chairs a national "e-health task force" charged with helping states find ways to streamline medical records and other data to reduce errors and trim costs.

To learn more about these efforts, visit www.aarp.org/tn.