Caring for the Caregiver

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Tuesday November 30, 2010 · 9:42 AM PST

2010/11/30 · 09:42

As National Caregivers Month comes to an end, WOW thanks caregivers across the country whose work makes it possible for millions of elders and persons with disabilities to live with dignity in their homes and communities. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, 22 million Americans care for someone over the age of 50 and 60% of caregivers are women. Caregiving is essential to allowing many elders to age in place and the value of informal care that women provide ranges from $148 to $188 billion annually.

AHowell

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Friday November 12, 2010 · 12:59 PM PST

2010/11/12 · 12:59

Recommendations released yesterday by the co-chairs of the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform do not represent the wants or needs of the American people.

AHowell

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Friday November 05, 2010 · 2:27 PM PDT

2010/11/05 · 14:27

The federal government announced in October that Social Security beneficiaries will not receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) ...again. It is now the second consecutive year the government placed a freeze on the COLA during the recession, when people especially need additional income to pay for basic and rising expenses. To curtail the negative effect of the COLA freeze last year, Congress passed a $250 emergency one-time payment for all Social Security beneficiaries as part of the Recovery Act; however, they have yet to do so this time around. The emergency payment not only assisted seniors in making ends meet but also bolstered the economy when spent.

AHowell

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Friday October 22, 2010 · 9:17 AM PDT

2010/10/22 · 09:17

Last week, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) released its newest measure of economic security, the Basic Economic Security Tables for the DC Metro Area (DC BEST). WOW is pleased to have been featured in multiple media outlets over the past week, including the Sunday edition of the Washington Post.

AHowell

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Wednesday September 29, 2010 · 9:53 PM PDT

2010/09/29 · 21:53

Imagine living your whole life working just to pay the bills – not saving for your future, but simply paying for the present. You work as much as you can, but also decide to have a family and need to take time off work. Before you know it, you are 65 and it is time to retire. This would be an exciting time in your life, except you don’t have any savings. Thankfully, you have Social Security. You start receiving your benefits, but then you realize it’s not enough to get by. Now what do you do?

AHowell

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Thursday September 23, 2010 · 6:32 AM PDT

2010/09/23 · 06:32

Last Monday, the White House held a briefing in honor of Grandparents Day. Members of the Administration discussed the status of programs, policies and services that help grandparents and seniors age in place with dignity, including provisions under the Affordable Care Act and the Senior Community Services Employment Program (SCSEP). Administration officials stressed the need of disseminating information about these programs to counter public misinformation. Read the President’s official proclamation.

AHowell

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Tuesday August 31, 2010 · 6:33 AM PDT

2010/08/31 · 06:33

Last week, Wider Opportunities for Women(WOW) celebrated Women’s Equality Day and we continue to commemorate the women who came before us and advocated for our right to vote. Even today, however, there are still women’s issues to address, like equal pay. We encourage you and your networks to participate with us next month in a push to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Unequal pay continues to affect a woman’s ability to make ends meet in retirement. As August comes to a close and we near the end of our month-long celebration of Social Security, we here at WOW would like to reflect on just how much Social Security helps older women reach economic security.

AHowell

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Thursday August 12, 2010 · 9:46 AM PDT

2010/08/12 · 09:46

Social Security is not in crisis and is not bankrupt. According to the annual report authored by the Board of Trustees for Social Security released last week, Social Security will have a surplus of $77 billion by the end of this year. Furthermore, annual surpluses are projected to continue until 2025. That’s the good news. The purpose of this report is to provide a "heads up" to policy makers on the solvency of Social Security. For some time now, the Trustees have stated that reform is needed to ensure full benefits are paid in the future.

AHowell

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Friday August 06, 2010 · 2:16 PM PDT

2010/08/06 · 14:16

Yesterday, I attended a Hill briefing, hosted by the National Council of Women’s Organizations'(NCWO) Older Women Economic Security Taskforce (OWES) on why raising the Social Security retirement age (again) is a bad idea. Proponents of this bad idea think it will encourage older workers to work longer and further the solvency of Social Security. The reality, however, is that raising the retirement age is a benefit cut for current and future retirees and negatively affects their ability to be economically secure. Furthermore, many older workers are not collecting benefits early because they want or choose to. In this economy older workers are being laid off and are unable to find jobs, and end up collecting benefits before full retirement age because they have to.

AHowell

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Friday July 23, 2010 · 11:49 AM PDT

2010/07/23 · 11:49

This week, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) and other women’s organizations met with Vice President Biden and other Administration officials about the importance of equal pay to the economic security of women and their families. Additionally, the White House hosted a call on Women and the Economy to reinforce the importance of passing the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182 / H.R. 12) and to share steps the Administration is taking to help with work-family balance. The Paycheck Fairness Act has already passed in the House and the President and Vice President urged the Senate to pass the bill before the August recess. The legislation once made law will equip women to advocate for fair pay in the workforce without fear of retaliation.

AHowell

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Friday July 16, 2010 · 2:46 PM PDT

2010/07/16 · 14:46

The Minnesota Women’s Consortium, the state lead of the Minnesota Elder Economic Security Initiative (MinnEESI), has been busy these past few months planning a forum on the economic security of older women in the state.

RSS

Caring for the Caregiver

Fiscal Commission's Initial Recommendations Threaten Elder Economic Security

No COLA = Big Problem; Advocate for the $250 One-Time Emergency Payment for Seniors

WOW Releases New Measure of Economic Security

Wake Up Washington: Older Women and Economic Security

Celebrating our Grandparents

Keeping the Promise of Social Security for Older Women and their Families

Social Security is NOT in Crisis. What the 2010 Trustees Report Says About It

Don't be Fooled! Raising the Retirement Age is a Benefit Cut

White House Backs Paycheck Fairness Act

MinnEESI Update