Many older adults have to dig deep to handle the snowballing costs of aging in place.

“They spend down all their retirement savings. Sometimes, they sell homes,” says Cathleen MacCaul, AARP Washington advocacy director. “They’re basically left with a very minimal amount of fixed income—usually Social Security—and then they qualify for Medicaid.” It’s not ideal for them or for taxpayers.

Perhaps a “hub” could help.

AARP Washington and other advocates are talking with state legislators about setting up a system in which wellness and social services for older adults are arranged in the communities where they live. Mobile home parks or apartment complexes, for instance, could become hubs where low- to middle-income people are connected to services that help them stay at home and avoid institutional care. It would cost less than covering the expenses through Medicaid, MacCaul says.

The key is having coordinators where sizable numbers of older adults live, to assess their needs and arrange for services, says Alyssa Odegaard, vice president of public policy at LeadingAge Washington, a consortium of long-term care providers in the state.

Discussions on developing a hub model are in the early stages and include AARP Washington, state lawmakers and other stakeholders. Approving and setting up such a system would likely take three to five years, according to Odegaard and MacCaul. One key issue: working out what kind of funding—state, Medicare or private insurance—might pay for it. —Rita Beamish

Upcoming primary Voters on Tuesday, May 21, will decide who advances to the Nov. 5 election for state House, state Senate, U.S. House and judicial seats.

Under recent state laws, student IDs are no longer accepted as proof of identity for voting purposes. You can register online, by mail or in person. Find deadlines and other rules at aarp.org/idvotes and voteidaho.gov.

Presidential caucuses are held separately—Republicans are scheduled for early March and Democrats for Thursday, May 23. Details at idahodems.org and idahorepublicancaucus.com.

Ask the secretary Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane (R) will answer election-related and other questions during an AARP Idaho telephone town hall, at 10:30 a.m. Mountain time, Wednesday, April 10. Ask questions during the call or email in advance to aarpid@aarp.org. Join the call at 866-767-0637 or on facebook.com/aarpidaho.

Broken hearts Valentine’s Day may have come and gone, but unfortunately romance scams are still in the air.

AARP Alaska is warning residents to be wary of fake would-be sweethearts that populate dating apps and social media. AARP Alaska has tips for avoiding such scams at aarp.org/ak.

Listen in Estate planning, healthy eating, brain health and disaster preparedness are among the topics of AARP Montana’s telephone town halls. Up next: On March 19, a discussion on fraud and impostor scams.

Calls are at 10 a.m. the third Tuesday of the month. Dial 855-962-1531 to join a call, or listen and send questions at fb.com/AARPMontana. More details at aarp.org/tthtuesday. —RB