Active aging
February 2015 • Vol. 36-No. 3
January 2004 • Vol. 25-No.2
Serving 80,000 Readers in in South Central Kansas Informing 112,000 55+ readers Southcentral Kansas
Legislation to watch
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Healthcare tops agenda By Mary Tritsch The Kansas Legislature is back in session, and legislators are hard at work considering bills that will impact our state and each one of us. AARP Kansas, working with our Capitol City Task Force volunteer members, is not only keeping track of legislation that impacts age 50 and older Kansans, we’re also proposing legislation that will have a positive impact on us. Some issues of interest this year include: The CARE Act — This is an AARP bill which would provide support to the more than 600,000 Kansas caregivers as they safely help older Kansans who want to remain in their homes. The bill ensures that a caregiver’s name is recorded when a loved one is
admitted to the hospital; the caregiver is notified when their loved one is to be discharged to another facility or home; and the caregiver is given an explanation and instructions for any medical tasks that need to be performed at home. Kansas currently ranks 35th in support of caregivers. We can do better. Medicaid Expansion – Advocates, including AARP, continue to push for Medicaid Expansion in Kansas which would help 100,000 Kansans, including 20,000 Kansans ages 50 to 64 who don’t yet qualify for Medicare, receive affordable health care coverage with a large part of the funding provided by the federal government. Registered Dental Practitioners (RDPs) – The Kansas Dental Project is working to pass legislation, supported by
AARP and numerous other organizations, that would allow RDPs who are highly trained dental hygienists to work in community settings and provide high-quality oral care to underserved populations, including the elderly, while at the same time freeing up dentists to do more complex procedures. Poor oral health can lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. More than one-third of seniors living in nursing facilities suffer from untreated dental decay. Increased Nursing Care Hours in Nursing Facilities – This legislation would set nursing home nurse staffing standards in Kansas law. The bill, proposed by Kansas Advocates for Better Care and AARP, was first introduced in the 2013 legislative
See Topeka, page 11
Love a ‘second time around’ By David Dinell Back in the 1960s, Frank Sinatra sang “Love is lovelier the second time around.” Many in mid-life have taken the famed crooner’s observation to heart and walked down the aisle – discovering that love can bloom again, and often in a deeper and more meaningful way. One such couple is Kirk, 59, and Leigh Carlson Burgess, 58, of Wichita, who have marked their fifth wedding anniversary. “It feels so good to have another shot at marriage after so many false starts and trials,” Leigh said. Leigh was first married at 19. That marriage ended in divorce five years later, and, at 26, she married Gary Cox, a minister. However, at age 50, Cox died. At that point, her interest was more oriented toward quality companionship. “At only 51 or 52, you have some good years left.” Leigh wanted to “look around” and see what was out there, but the typical meeting grounds of 20-somethings – bars and college classrooms – no longer applied, so she went to an online dating service after hearing a success story from a friend. “I wasn’t looking for marriage,” Leigh said, “and I certainly never thought I would have three marriages.”
Photo by David Dinell
Companionship is a key factor in a marriage, say Kirk and Leigh Carlson Burgess. The Wichita couple marked their fifth anniversary and aim for many more years together.
But it happened. She met Kirk Burgess, who himself had been married twice before. “I figured on giving marriage one more try,” Leigh said. And so did Kirk. The Burgess’ are part of a growing demographic trend, according to a Pew Research analysis of U.S. Census data. It found that of every 10 marriages in 2013,
at least four had one partner who had been married previously. Furthermore, the number of remarried adults has almost doubled from 1980, from 22 million to 42 million, and tripled from 1960, when there were only 14 million remarried adults. Along with changing attitudes toward
See Remarriage, page 6