December 2025

Medicare Open Enrollment is coming to an end on December 7th. If you still need help with your Medicare plans, please call a SHINE Counselor today so they can help!

Older Drivers

Safe Driving as You Age

Aging affects everyone differently. When it comes to driving, it is important to understand the impact age-related changes may have on one’s safe driving ability. Join the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in encouraging older adults, family members, and caregivers to be proactive about discussing safe mobility and building a transportation plan.

• Crashes are more harmful for older adults than their younger counterparts because reaction times decrease with age, and older individuals may be more prone to injury in a crash.
• Decisions about someone’s ability to drive should never be based on age alone. However, changes in vision, physical fitness, and reflexes may cause safety concerns. By accurately assessing age-related changes, drivers can adjust their driving habits to remain safe on the road or choose other kinds of transportation.
• One way to stay safe while driving is by making sure you understand how medical conditions can affect one’s ability to drive safely.
• Begin talking about safe driving in general long before difficulties are noticed. Ultimately, it is a person’s driving performance, not age, that should determine fitness to drive.
• Plan trips at times of day when traffic is light, and plan routes to reduce conflict with other traffic.
• Driving at night may become challenging as one ages.
• Older drivers can plan their schedule early to be home before the sun goes down. During the winter months the sun goes down early, so plan accordingly. When out in the dark, be sure headlights are on, slow down and keep an eye out for all road users.
• Older drivers should be proactive about being safe drivers.
• Families of older drivers should work with their loved ones to plan for safe mobility even beyond the driver’s seat.

Showing empathy and compassion to an older driver can help caregivers and family members navigate age-related changes. Remember: It is a person’s driving performance, not age, that determines fitness to drive. Getting older doesn’t mean it’s time to hang up the keys! But staying safe behind the wheel does mean monitoring changes in overall health to drive safely and comfortably.

To learn more about staying safe behind the wheel, visit NHTSA.gov/OlderDrivers

Resources: https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/safety-topics/older-driver-safety

FSU Claude Pepper Center and AARP Florida

Uniting caregivers & leaders through inaugural Florida Caregiving Summit

More than 4.4 million adults in Florida are family caregivers  who primarily provide unpaid and unsupported care to older parents, spouses and other relatives. As Florida’s population ages, with one in five residents expected to be 65 or older by 2030, caregivers and families continue to need access to essential resources and information for support more than ever before.

To help address this need, AARP Florida and Florida State University’s Claude Pepper Center organized the inaugural 2025 Florida Caregiving Summit. The event brought together leading policymakers, specialists in aging and disability services, and workforce development professionals to discuss the future of family caregiving in Florida. Attendees heard from FSU President Richard McCullough and FSU Claude Pepper Center Director Dawn Carr before attending the three panel discussions.

“The variation of what caregiving looks like is really broad,” McCullough said. “The things that are going on here at this summit are very, very important — the policies, the organizations, the policymakers — you are the ones that are helping families to get these resources so they can get the care for their loved ones.”

Held at FSU’s Jim Moran Building in downtown Tallahassee, the Tuesday, Nov. 4 event included discussion panels and a resource fair, recognizing the essential contributions caregivers make to their families and the broader economy. More than 200 people also attended the event virtually.

“I don’t know that people are ever prepared when they become caregivers until they’re faced with all of these very challenging moments where they have not only the physical demands of care, but also many of the financial demands,” Carr said.

The first panel, “The Financial Impact of Caregiving,” was moderated by Carr and included panelists Miles Taylor (Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy), Monique Akanbi (Society for Human Resource Management) and Robert Beck (PinPoint Results, LLC). The panel discussed topics such as caregivers leaving or taking extended leave from the workplace, financial resources available for things like home modifications and care supplies as well as some of the unexpected financial costs that come with caring for a loved one.

“We often think about the out-of-pocket costs that come with being a caregiver and caring for a loved one, like helping pay for medical care, but there are other out-of-pocket costs that we don’t think about,” Taylor said. “Things like home modifications or having respite care — those things can really add up. But there are often also opportunity and indirect costs for caregivers.”

The second panel, “Supporting Family Caregivers Through Policy,” was moderated by Zayne Smith, Esq. (AARP Florida) and included panelists Representative Anna Eskamani (Florida House of Representatives), Senator Kathleen Passidomo (Florida Senate) and Secretary Michelle Branham (Florida Department of Elder Affairs). The conversation covered how policymakers collaborate to create policies for caregivers and Florida’s aging population and discussed future implications of an aging demographic in Florida.

“The Department of Elder Affairs always says we want to live well and age well, but what does aging well look like?” Branham said. “And that’s a little bit of planning — so how do we wraparound support services not just for the people living with chronic conditions, but also their caregivers so that we’re set up for success.” Eskamani and Passidomo discussed their experiences and insight into working across the aisle to further policies and support for caregivers across the state.

The third and final panel, “The Florida Caregiving Landscape,” was moderated by Kip Corriveau (Metropolitan Ministries) and included panelists Alexis Jacobs (Alzheimer’s Association), Mary Ellen Philbin (Share the Care) and Whitney Scott (TMH Memory Disorder Clinic) discussing resources and support available through public and private organizations across the state to support the elderly, disabled and their families. A full recording of the summit is available here.

To learn more about FSU’s Claude Pepper Center, visit claudepeppercenter.fsu.edu. For more information about FSU Aging, visit aging.fsu.edu



Resources: https://news.fsu.edu/news/business-law-policy/2025/11/07/fsu-claude-pepper-center-and-aarp-florida-unite-caregivers-leaders-through-inaugural-florida-caregiving-summit/

Protect Yourself this December

National Identity Theft Prevention & Awareness Month

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is when someone uses your personal or financial information without your permission.

They might steal your name and address, credit card or bank account numbers, Social Security number, or medical insurance account numbers. And they could use them to

• buy things with your credit cards
• get new credit cards in your name
• open a phone, electricity, or gas account in your name
• steal your tax refund
• get a job
• get medical care
• pretend to be you if they’re arrested

How To Know if Someone Stole Your Identity

It pays to know how to tell if someone stole your identity. Here’s how to tell if identity theft has already happened:

• Track what bills you owe and when they’re due. If you stop getting a bill, that could be a sign that someone changed your billing address and may be misusing your information as an identity thief.
• Review your bills. Charges for things you didn’t buy could be a sign of identity theft. So could a new bill you didn’t expect.
• Check your bank account statement. Withdrawals you didn’t make could be a sign of identity theft.
• Get and review your credit reports. Accounts in your name that you don’t recognize could be a sign of identity theft. Here’s how to get your free credit reports.

How To Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

Here are some steps to take to help protect your personal information and avoid identity theft.

• Place a credit freeze on your credit reports

A credit freeze keeps people from getting into to your report. While a freeze is in place, nobody can open a new credit account. They’re free to place and lift. To place one, contact each of the three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

• Place a fraud alert on your credit reports

Even if you already have a credit freeze in place, you may also place an initial fraud alert if you suspect fraud. An initial fraud alert tells businesses to check with you before opening a new account in your name. Usually, that means contacting you first to make sure the person trying to open a new account is really you. To place a free, one-year fraud alert, contact one of the three credit bureaus. That company must tell the other two about the alert.

• Protect documents that have personal information

Keep your financial records, Social Security and Medicare cards, and any other documents that have personal or financial information in a safe place. When you decide to get rid of them, shred them before you throw them away. If you don’t have a shredder, look for a local shred day in your community, or use a marker to block out account numbers. If you get statements with personal information in the mail, take your mail out of the mailbox as soon as possible.

• Ask questions before you give out your Social Security number

Some organizations need your Social Security number to identify you — like the IRS, your bank, and your employer. But those organizations won’t call, email, or text you to ask for it. If they do, it’s a scammer.

Other organizations that might ask you for your Social Security number might not really need it. For example, a medical provider, a company you’re doing business with, or your child’s school. Ask these questions before you give them your Social Security number:

• Why do you need it?
• How will you protect it?
• Can you use a different identifier?
• Can you use just the last four digits of my Social Security number?

If you're not satisfied with their answers, don't share your Social Security number.

Protect your information from scammers online and on your phone

• If you’re logging in to an online account, use a strong password.
• Add two-factor authentication for accounts that offer it. Two-factor authentication offers extra security by requiring two or more credentials to log in to your account. The credentials you need to log in to your account fall into three categories:
• something you know (like a password, a PIN, or the answer to a security question)
• something you have (like a one-time passcode you get by text message, email, or an authenticator app)
• something you are (like a scan of your fingerprint, your retina, or your face)

Multi-factor authentication makes it harder for scammers to log in to your accounts if they do get your username and password.

• Don’t give your personal information to someone who calls, emails, or texts you. It could be a scammer trying to steal your information.

Resources: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-identity-theft#know

https://www.identitytheft.gov/

Identity theft can be a form of Elder Abuse. If you know of someone who may be a victim of Elder Identity Theft, please call today.