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Today, a secure retirement may be out of reach for millions of Americans, especially those who work for small businesses. Fifty-seven million Americans have no access to a retirement savings plan through their employers - that’s over 50 percent of the 18- to 64-year-old population. When employers give workers the option of payroll deduction for retirement savings, AARP research indicates that their participation rate is a whopping 1,300 percent higher than that of those without the option.

By Al Norman In 2009, a state legislator who chaired the House Financial Services Committee on Beacon Hill introduced a bill that would "automatically enroll...

If you are not a caregiver, chances are you will be one in the future, or maybe you know someone who is currently caring for their loved one. In 2015 in Massachusetts, family caregivers provided 786 million hours of unpaid care valued at approximately $11.6 billion annually. These family caregivers have a huge responsibility and, fortunately, there is a new state law to help them. AARP Massachusetts is thrilled to announce that the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act is now law. The CARE Act recognizes the critical role family caregivers play in keeping their loved ones at home, and out of costly institutions. Currently, Massachusetts is the 38th state to enact the CARE Act.

The U.S. Senate recently found itself in a mad rush to beat the clock and repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) before Sept. 30. It was an act of desperation to support a bill that simply kicked the problem down to the states. Here is the background:

Some of the detrimental effects of heavy alcohol use on brain function are similar to those observed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although alcohol use may be a risk factor for AD, it is difficult to study this relationship because of similarities between alcoholic dementia and AD and because standard diagnostic criteria for alcoholic dementia have not yet been developed.

One day in a bookshop, I overheard a six-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother discussing which is better, movies or books. He said movies. She said books. “Movies,” she explained, “turned your brain into a potato.”

My friend Bob is 73 years old. He lives alone with his dog Moxie in a small town in western Massachusetts. For all his adult life, Bob has worked as a builder and carpenter. When things were going well, Bob had a construction crew that could repair anything from roofs to basements. Bob can no longer climb up ladders, or exert himself. His gait is unsteady, and he has survived a bout of cancer that doctors said would kill him years ago. His income now is $16,000 a year from Social Security, which puts him about 133 percent over the federal poverty level.

AARP Massachusetts is hard at work fighting for the interests of older adults across the Commonwealth, and is proud to announce our support of two bills currently under consideration in the legislature.

Region - Lyme disease is one of the most misunderstood and controversial diseases across our country. Getting properly diagnosis and treatment options are extremely difficult. I quickly found this out after losing my Mom, Jeanne to complications from untreated late-stage Lyme disease. Mom was full of life until she developed a rash on her upper back while spending the winter in Florida in early 2011. The non-blistering rash was quickly diagnosed as shingles and she was prescribed a steroid. Her health would never be the same after that.

I have been working in affordable housing for over 25 years. I know about aging and disabilities.  I also know about reasonable accommodations and modifications. I know that not all limitations are obvious to others and I know that many disabilities cannot be seen.