Autumn Events, Webinars, and more from AARP Massachusetts

If you're hunkering down for the season, we've got you covered for fun, informative events, Tune in and sign up today.

Preparing for Retirement: Social Security & Medicare
Saturday, October 26  from 8:30 to 11:30am | Fitchburg
AARP has resources to help you make informed decisions about your retirement and your healthcare. You worked hard for you money so it’s only fair you get everything you’ve earned and that you understand your healthcare options. Come and get answers to your questions on Social Security and Medicare and join us for a free light buffet breakfast.
Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.
A light breakfast will be served at 9 a.m.
9:30 a.m. - All About Medicare
10:30 a.m. - All About Social Security
Presentations end at 11:30.
Click here to Attend

Life Hacks: AI & Disinformation
Tuesday, October 29 at 1:00pm | Online
Disinformation refers to false information created to mislead people, and it's nothing new. But today's AI powered tools and social media have made it easier and faster to create and spread disinformation. In this lecture, we’ll explore how AI is used to create convincing deepfakes and clone voices, making it challenging to distinguish between real and fake content. We’ll also review best practices for evaluating information and explore tech tools that can help identify content created with AI.
Click here to Attend

Walk with a Doc- Worcester
Saturday November 2 at 10 am | Worcester
Walk with a Doc is a walking program for everyone interested in taking steps for a healthier lifestyle. You’ll take a few minutes to learn about a current health topic from a healthcare professional, then spend the rest of the hour enjoying a healthy walk and fun conversation. It’s a great way to get out, get active, and enjoy all the benefits that come from walking. Walk your own pace and distance. In the winter months the group walks at St. Vincent Hospital and in the summer months we are at Elm Park. We will email all registrants two days before the walk to let you know if we will be at St. Vincent or Elm Park.
Click here to attend

Making Cents of Caregiving Costs
Tuesday November 5 at Noon | Online
In this session, we’ll introduce essential information caregivers need to more easily manage the costs and complexities of caregiving - information on creating a health care plan, choosing a power of attorney and budgeting for housing and transportation costs, for example.
AARP’s Financial Workbook for Family Caregivers will be reviewed, and we’ll explore how to incorporate the tips into your caregiving. Additional resources will also be provided.   
Click here to register.

Introduction to Volunteering with AARP Massachusetts
Wednesday November 6 at Noon | Online
At our Introduction to Volunteering with AARP Massachusetts, we will share information about the various opportunities to get engaged as a volunteer with our state office. Bring your questions, as well as your lunch, to this quick 30 minute online session and learn directly from our volunteers about what programs we offer. You must register to get the Zoom link emailed to you. These sessions will be provided on the first Wednesday of every month so if you miss this one you can join the next. *Please note there will be no December introduction to volunteering session.
Click here to register.

Walk with a Doc-Boston
Saturday November 9 at 11:00am | Boston
Walk with a Doc is a walking program for everyone interested in taking steps for a healthier lifestyle. You’ll take a few minutes to learn about a current health topic from a healthcare professional, then spend the rest of the hour enjoying a healthy walk and fun conversation. It’s a great way to get out, get active, and enjoy all the benefits that come from walking. Walk your own pace and distance. When the weather is bad, we will meet inside the Prudential Shopping Center and on good weather days we will meet at the Boston Common. A reminder with the location will go out the day before.
Click here to attend

Fraud Talk Tuesday: Protecting our Veterans from Fraud
Tuesday November 12 at Noon
Veterans and military families are 40% more likely than civilians to lose money to scam artists through scams, frauds, and schemes. AARP’s has a Fraud Prevention Center on the web specifically dedicated to keeping veterans and military families safe from becoming victims of scams and identity theft. Learn how with this webinar.
Click here to register

Intro to Sleep Technologies
Tuesday November 12 at 1pm
Sleep troubles? What if tech could help you sleep? This lecture gives an overview of different devices and wearable technologies that track sleep patterns, monitor sleep disorders, and may even improve your sleep. You’ll also learn about mindfulness apps that offer guided meditations and other ways to promote healthy sleep habits. Click here to register.

Downsizing and Decluttering
Tuesday November 12 at 7:00 pm| Online
Having too much stuff can be an impediment when people want to relocate or get health care in their homes. This interactive online class on decluttering and downsizing explores why holding on to stuff is so important to some people and shares practical tips on home organization, from involving everyone in the household in the decluttering effort and clearing one tiny area at a time to storing important papers electronically.
Learn how to get started! And bring your questions, as there will be time for Q&A.
Click here to register

Navigating the Dementia Care Journey
In collaboration with The Alzheimer’s Association
Wednesday, November 13 at 6:00pm | Online
Presented by Brent P. Forester, MD, MSc., and Thomas Harrison, authors of The Complete Family Guide to Dementia: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Parent and Yourself
Dementia is harder for families to care for than any other illness, but families often don’t plan ahead for this and wind up in a cycle of stress and crisis. Journalist Thomas Harrison and leading geriatric psychiatrist Brent Forester will explain the unique challenges of dementia caregiving and the need to "care smarter, not harder" in order to help loved ones maintain the best possible quality of life. They will also discuss how families and professional caregivers can work together more smoothly to improve outcomes, not just for the person with dementia but for the family as well.
This is not an AARP hosted event. Any information you provide to the host organization will be governed by its privacy policy.
Click here to Register.

Six Pillars of Brain Health
Tuesday November 19 at 7pm|Online
Find out what your lifestyle would look like if you filled it with brain-healthy behaviors. A lifestyle that supports brain health can make a big difference to your well-being throughout your life, and it’s within your power to make the daily choices that can get you there.
Learn about “six pillars” that support brain health. These lifestyle habits include cultivating social connections, managing stress, getting high-quality sleep and moving around more, for example.
Click here to Register

Caregiver Conversations: Journey of Hope
In collaboration with The Alzheimer’s Association
Wednesday, November 20 at 12pm | Online
No one size fits all when it comes to caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Caregivers may provide help with personal care, paying bills and coordinating medical care while also providing emotional support for the person living with dementia and extended family. Regardless if you are a caregiver close by or caregiving from a distance, as the disease progresses, one’s role as a caregiver also changes. It is helpful to know what to expect and how to prepare. Join us for a panel discussion with caregivers as they share tips, strategies, and lessons learned throughout their journey.
Panel Discussion Moderated by Sandra Harris, State President, AARP Massachusetts, Co-founder and Co-Leader of the Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness.
This is not an AARP hosted event. Any information you provide to the host organization will be governed by its privacy policy.
Click here to Register

Medicare 101: An Introduction to Medicare
Thursday, November 21, 6:00-7:00pm
Are you approaching age 65 and want to know how Medicare works? Learn about the costs involved, the choices and decisions you must make, how enrollment works and mistakes to avoid. This webinar is for people not yet enrolled in Medicare.

You worked hard for your money so it’s only fair you get everything you’ve earned and that you understand your healthcare options. Come and get answers to your questions on Medicare. AARP has resources to help you make informed decisions about your retirement and your healthcare.
If you are already enrolled in Medicare and are making decisions during Medicare Open Enrollment, please visit AARP’s Medicare Resource Center and consult your local SHINE Counselor. Open enrollment ends December 7.
Be prepared for one of the biggest changes to the Medicare prescription drug program ever: In 2025, out-of-pocket costs for covered drugs will be limited to $2,000 annually.
Click Here to Attend

Social Security 101
Thursday November 21, 7:15pm | Online
If you would like to have a better sense of how to make the most of your Social Security benefits, this workshop can help. We’ ll focus on the decisions you will be making about when to claim Social Security benefits and what implications those choices may have on your finances. Topics to be addressed include:

• How to estimate what your monthly Social Security benefits will be 
• How to claim your benefits  
• The circumstances that may affect the size of those payments, such as your marital status, years in the workforce and when you opt to claim benefits

The goal is to help you build confidence in your ability to make decisions that are right for you.

Click Here to Attend


Intro to Selling Online
Tuesday, November 26 1pm
Want to make some extra money? Online marketplaces make it easy to sell almost anything-from your vintage collectibles to handmade crafts! This lecture will introduce you to different online platforms for selling all kinds of items, including furniture, clothing, household items, and more! We’ll also cover some tips and best practices for safely using these platforms so you can avoid scams and sell confidently! Click here to register.

HomeFit
Tuesday November 26 at 7:00 pm | Online
Discover smart design changes you can make for a safer and more comfortable home. Small home improvements can make a big difference in your life. They can make your home a space that enables you to “age in place,” to thrive as your living situation changes. They can also make life easier for visitors of all ages, from grandchildren to adult children and friends. Learn about the free AARP HomeFit Guide, which can help you assess each room in your house and offers home-improvement tips on everything from installing comfort-height toilets and shower seating to choosing slip-free rugs and exterior lighting that doesn’t require a ladder to change the bulb.
Click here to register

Managing Celiac And Other Dietary Needs Around The Holidays
Tuesday, Dec 3 at Noon | Online
In this 5th and final session of our fall caregiving webinar series, we will have experts from the National Celiac Association (NCA) joining us and helping us to understand celiac disease and other gluten-related conditions. The only treatment for celiac disease is a strict adherence to the gluten-free diet, so NCA will be sharing with us how to safely eat gluten free outside of the home and what you, as a caregiver, can do to safely prepare food for any setting and occasion. As the holidays are upon us, we want to ensure that our friends and family members with dietary restrictions can enjoy the festivities in a safe and delightful way.

Click here to register



Community Conversation About Social Security
Tuesday, Dec 3 at 2pm | Northampton
Social Security puts retirement in reach for millions of Americans. For most retirees, it is essential in helping to cover daily living expenses and pay bills. Yet, there are persistent misconceptions about its long-term financial stability and how it works. During this interactive Community Conversation, with AARP and the Social Security Administration, you’ll learn how Social Security is funded and about the future health and stability of the program. You’ll also learn how you can help protect Social Security for the hard-working Americans who have earned it.
Social Security is your money—you earned it through a lifetime of hard work. You can also get answers to your specific Social Security questions.
Light food and refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public.
Click here to register

Walk with a Doc Worcester
Saturday, December 7 at 10 am
Walk with a Doc is a walking program for everyone interested in taking steps for a healthier lifestyle. You’ll take a few minutes to learn about a current health topic from a healthcare professional, then spend the rest of the hour enjoying a healthy walk and fun conversation. It’s a great way to get out, get active, and enjoy all the benefits that come from walking. Walk your own pace and distance. In the winter months the group walks at St. Vincent Hospital and in the summer months we are at Elm Park. We will email all registrants two days before the walk to let you know if we will be at St. Vincent or Elm Park.
Click here to Register

Intro to Estate Planning Resources & Tools,
Tuesday, December 10 at 1:00pm | Online
Estate planning may sound intimidating or something that requires a lot of resources. Creating an estate plan just means making sure that your health, finances, and anything you own is handled according to your wishes. In this case, a simple plan is better than no plan! In this lecture, you’ll get an overview of some common documents found in an estate plan. We’ll also cover some free or low-cost resources and digital tools to help you get started with a simple estate plan
Click here to Register

Fraud Talk Tuesday with AARP: Real Estate Scams
Tuesday, December 10 at Noon | Online
Whether you own your own home, looking to buy one or thinking about renting, scammers can be right there with you. We’ll look at home and apartment rental scams, reverse mortgage and mortgage relief scams. Join us to explore real estate scams to look out for, how to avoid them and what to do if you’ve been targeted.
Click here to Register

Walk with a Doc Boston
Saturday, December 14 at 11:00 am
Walk with a Doc is a walking program for everyone interested in taking steps for a healthier lifestyle. You’ll take a few minutes to learn about a current health topic from a healthcare professional, then spend the rest of the hour enjoying a healthy walk and fun conversation. It’s a great way to get out, get active, and enjoy all the benefits that come from walking. Walk your own pace and distance. When the weather is bad, we will meet inside the Prudential Shopping Center and on good weather days we will meet at the Boston Common. A reminder with the location will go out the day before.
Click here to Register

Missed an event? Check out @aarpmassachusetts on YouTube