AARP Washington State Podcast

We talk about our elections with new WA Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and discuss election security, how to vote, important dates and more. Then UW professor Jevin West updates us on the misinformation and disinformation surrounding the 2022 elections. More info at aarp.org/wavotes.

In this episode, we look at important action in the 2022 legislative session. Attorney General Bob Ferguson talks about protecting against frauds and scam robocalls. Bea Rector from Washington DSHS updates us in improvements long-term care services and help for all of us to age in our homes with dignity and purpose.

All about managing your money with help from AARP! We talk with Mary Liz Burns from AARP's national office, who is a recognized expert on financial security. AARP has many online tools to maximize your savings and retirement, with AARP's Money Map, Savi Student Loan Repayment Tool, Debt Manager, Goals Tracker, Social Security Resource Center and more. We can help you find the right financial advisor and decide when to take Social Security. Mary Liz tells us how it works and how you can take advantage of AARP's expertise. You can get started at aarp.org/money.

In this episode, we discuss the misinformation "infodemic" with Prof. Kate Starbird of the UW's Center for an Informed Public. Dr. Starbird studies how social media and other messaging spreads around the world. We explore how we can tell fact from fiction and how to fight the spread of disinformation in our lives.

And yes, she is Kate Starbird the basketball star! So at the end of the episode, we talk a bit about the state of women's basketball and about retiring from professional sports and finding a new calling.

In addition to her work at the Center, Kate is an associate professor in the UW's Human Centered Design and Engineering department, on the faculty of the Paul G. Allen Computer Science and Engineering program and a data science fellow at the eScience Institute.

This episode is a panel discussion as part of our partnership with the Seattle Storm on the importance of maintaining our mental health and wellbeing during times of uncertainty. Learn how Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson maintains her mental health while living navigating an WNBA season. Katie Lou has been open about her mental struggles, inspiring others to seek help and be their best. Other panelists are Seattle Top Doctor and geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Arpan Waghray of Swedish Behavior Health and Dr. Edwin Tan of AARP. The discussion is moderated by UW nursing professor Dr. Tatiana Sadak, who specializes in geriatric psychiatry and dementia. The session features tips and tools on how we can help ourselves and our loved ones keep mentally fit and healthy.

This episode is a panel discussion as part of our partnership with the Seattle Storm on the importance of maintaining our mental health and wellbeing during times of uncertainty. Learn how Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson maintains her mental health while living navigating an WNBA season. Katie Lou has been open about her mental struggles, inspiring others to seek help and be their best. Other panelists are Seattle Top Doctor and geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Arpan Waghray of Swedish Behavior Health and Dr. Edwin Tan of AARP. The discussion is moderated by UW nursing professor Dr. Tatiana Sadak, who specializes in geriatric psychiatry and dementia. The session features tips and tools on how we can help ourselves and our loved ones keep mentally fit and healthy.

Jim Browning is an Internet scam buster and online vigilante known for his "Jim Browning" YouTube channel, which has nearly 3.5 million subscribers and fans around the world. Jim delves into the shadowy world on fraudulent boiler rooms and has figured out how to see into the criminal's computers and cameras to expose their methods. He's also a master at getting the con artists to incriminate themselves. Jim has been called the "Internet's Batman", as he tries to save potential victims in real time as they're on the phone with scammers. He refers to several of his cases in the interview and you can find them at his channel by searching for "Jim Browning". That's not his real name, for obvious reasons, but he has real-world advice for avoiding being scammed. He was featured in the April edition of the AARP Bulletin in a front page story and this interview was part of the basis for that story. You can also see a profile of Jim and a short version of the case described at length in the interview on our YouTube channel by searching for AARP Washington.

Con artists asking for your money via pre-paid gift cards are one of top ways to spot a rip off before it happens. Scammers will ask their victim to buy gift cards at a retail store and read off the number. Within seconds, your money is gone forever. Another twist is demands to pay in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. In this episode, our Fraud Watch volunteers Jean and Debby fill us in on the details.

This live Q&A event teletown hall gave our members the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the current state of the pandemic in Washington, what is on the horizon, and what to know as we emerge from the pandemic from Governor Jay Inslee and Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah. For more than a year, the pandemic has been a constant in our daily lives. What are the next steps as we move forward? Recorded Wednesday, April 21st at 4 p.m.