The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that helps people aged 50 and over to improve the quality of their lives, started life in 1958, the brainchild of Dr Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired American highschool principal.

Dr Andrus had previously established the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA) in 1947 in order to promote her philosophy of productive aging, and in response to the need of retired teachers for health insurance.

At that time, private health insurance was virtually unavailable to older Americans. In fact it was not until 1965 that the government enacted Medicare, which provides health benefits to people who over age 65. Dr Andrus approached dozens of insurance companies until she found one willing to take the risk of insuring older people. She then developed other benefits and programmes, including a discount mail order pharmacy service.

Over the years the NRTA heard from thousands of other individuals who wanted to know how they could obtain insurance and other NRTA benefits without being retired teachers. After ten years, Dr Andrus realized the time had come to create a new organization open to all Americans. Today, NRTA is a division within AARP.

Today, the AARP has grown to 40 million members and has offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As the USA’s largest membership organization for the Over 50s, AARP is leading a revolution in the way people view and live life after 50.

Other countries have similar Over 50s organisations. Australia for example has National Seniors Australia (NSA), formerly known as the Australian Retired Persons Association (ARPA).

We in the UK meanwhile had Heyday, launched in May 2006 with millions of pounds worth of backing from Age Concern. It closed in February 2009.

Now why are we at Third Age not in the least bit surprised!