The Elder Economic Security Initiative™ team at WOW is delighted to share our final newsletter of the year! This month, we chose to highlight the one-time $250 Social Security payment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). We hope the overview, data points, policy update and resources are helpful! For more information about ARRA, sign up to receive the WOW weekly update on ARRA happenings

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$250 One-Time Social Security Payment Newsletter

It suddenly occurred to me that I might have a blog reader or two who doesn’t also visit my website or follow/friend/whatever me on some social media platform. In case there are indeed any of you out there, here’s a heads-up about a couple current events. A Merger of Equals just received a rave review in SUE Magazine , which is an aptly (and hilariously) titled e-publication for women in litigation.

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A Rave Review & a Holiday Offer

The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

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A Poem by Robert Frost

November is National Caregivers Month and WOW would like to thank the millions of unpaid Americans across the country who care for elders, children, and disabled persons. A report done by the University of Iowa and University of Alabama analyzes the difficulty of caring for elders in rural communities and proposes solutions to better support rural family caregivers. Today, over 25% of elders live in a rural community.

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The Rural Caregiver

Inspired by an invigorating literary conversation on Twitter with my friends @Amalari and @Angpang , I decided to compile a list of my favorite books in the categories of fiction and biography, the two categories I love best. The list below is not even close to complete nor did I go about compiling it in any scientific way. I merely went to most of my bookcases and wrote down the titles of books that have swept me away – from my own work, my own world, and my own sense of time and responsibilities

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For Your Reading Pleasure

Last week, the Elder Economic Security Initiative welcomed representatives from each of our twelve states (Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, New Jersey, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, and West Virginia) to Washington for the 2009 Elder Economic Security State Partner Summit.

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State Partners Visit Washington DC

Today at a briefing on the Hill, the National Academy of Social Insurance released a new report, “Fixing Social Security: Adequate Benefits, Adequate Financing” . This report outlines potential strategies to enhance benefit adequacy and ensure long-term solvency for Social Security.

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National Academy of Social Insurance Cites WOW in Report on How to Strengthen Social Security

We’ve had visitors here for the last few days and on Saturday, a perfect day for being outside in the desert sun without roasting (as are most October days), our guests decided they wanted to see some Vegas glories of the natural versus man-made variety.

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Valley of Fire

Stacy Sanders, Associate Director of the Initiative, is our guest blogger this week. Find out what she has been up to below! With November just around the corner, it seems the perfect time to reflect on a blitz of field activity for the Elder Economic Security Initiative (Initiative) this fall.

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Reflections from the Field: OLDER is BOLDER

Today, the Center for American Progress (CAP), in collaboration with Maria Shriver, released The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything. The report outlines how government, businesses, and faith-based institutions are responding to changing demographics in the workplace, namely the increasing number of women workers. The report outlines and how to create better opportunities for women and men in the workplace

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The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything

Two pieces of legislation are moving through Congress that have the potential to affect the economic security of America’s elders. The Medicare Premium Fairness Act of 2009 (H.R.

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Bills Considered in U.S. Congress to Support Elder Economic Security

Over the past two weeks, WOW traveled to both West Virginia and Wisconsin to present on the Elder Economic Security Initiative. In West Virginia, the Gerontology Institute at UMASS-Boston joined WOW in presenting draft Elder Index data to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and its stakeholders.

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The Initiative on the Road!

This weekend we celebrate National Grandparents Day! It is a day to recognize grandparents across the country for their love and guidance. Grandparents take on many responsibilities, and in some cases, are responsible for raising their grandchildren. According to the UC-Berkeley Center on Aging, over the last ten years, the number of children living with grandparents increased by 50 percent

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Recognizing our Grandparents

Alla interned for the Elder Economic Security Initiative for eight months and accomplished a great deal during her time at WOW. Read below to find out more! My time at Wider Opportunities for Women has come to an end. I have been an Elder Economic Security Initiative Intern at WOW since January 2009.

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Parting Words from a WOW Intern

Congratulations to our Wisconsin partner, the Wisconsin Women’s Network . An article written by Johanna Hatch, the Wisconsin Elder Economic Security Initiative Project Coordinator, can be found in the latest edition of Black Women 50+ Health & Lifestyles Magazine! CLICK HERE to read the article.

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Wisconsin State Partner Featured in Black Women 50+ Magazine

Alla Malova, an Elder Economic Security Initiative Intern, wraps up her two-part series on emotional support for elders. Old age, especially when combined with poverty, is associated with a painful stigma in American society.

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Spotlight on Supporting Elders: Facilitating Artistic Expression

This summer, Kristen worked as WOW’s Family Economic Self-Sufficiency and Elder Economic Security Initiative intern. She did a fabulous job updating our materials and researching many topics of interest to our organization.