Ina Jaffe
Ina Jaffe is a veteran NPR correspondent covering the aging of America. Her stories on Morning Edition and All Things Considered have focused on older adults' involvement in politics and elections, dating and divorce, work and retirement, fashion and sports, as well as issues affecting long term care and end of life choices. In 2015, she was named one of the nation's top "Influencers in Aging" by PBS publication Next Avenue, which wrote "Jaffe has reinvented reporting on aging."
Jaffe also reports on politics, contributing to NPR's coverage of national elections since 2008. From her base at NPR's production center in Culver City, California, Jaffe has covered most of the region's major news events, from the beating of Rodney King to the election of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She's also developed award-winning enterprise pieces. Her 2012 investigation into how the West Los Angeles VA made millions from illegally renting vacant property while ignoring plans to house homeless veterans won an award from the Society of Professional Journalists as well as a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media. A few months after the story aired, the West Los Angeles VA broke ground on supportive housing for homeless vets.
Her year-long coverage on the rising violence in California's public psychiatric hospitals won the 2011 Investigative Reporters and Editors Award as well as a Gracie Award. Her 2010 series on California's tough three strikes law was honored by the American Bar Association with the Silver Gavel Award, as well as by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Jaffe was the first editor of Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon, which made its debut in 1985.
Born in Chicago, Jaffe attended the University of Wisconsin and DePaul University, receiving bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy, respectively.
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Many families must sign a binding arbitration agreement when a loved one is admitted to a nursing home, pledging not to sue if something goes wrong. Proposed rules would ban that requirement. -
About half of workers in the U.S. have no retirement plan on the job. State-run, IRA-type programs are increasingly popular, with at least 20 states introducing legislation to create these programs.
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In the 1990s, California passed a ballot measure to deny state services to people in the country illegally. It was overturned, but some say it's responsible for swinging the state heavily Democratic. -
The second GOP presidential debate is coming up and social security has become a campaign issue. Some candidates are calling for cuts, while others are calling for tax hikes and expanding benefits.
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Donald Trump's foray into politics has had some scratching their heads. But not in California, where celebrity candidates like former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger are, like, so 12 years ago. -
In the past, the White House's once-a-decade summit on aging was a multi-day event attended by thousands, but this time there was no funding. So it's a one-day event for a couple of hundred guests.
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Also this week, misconceptions about slavery. And, the struggle for gay Christians trying to keep the faith.
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Once known for bland, institutional fare, hundreds of senior living centers across the U.S. now tout healthy meals made from scratch. Centers say this approach to food is tastier — and cheaper, too. -
Afraid of saying the wrong thing to someone with a serious illness? Now there are "empathy cards" that make fun of those well-meaning but tasteless remarks. -
As people age, cooking can become difficult or even physically impossible. It's one reason people move to assisted living. One company offers a chef to cook healthy, affordable meals at home.
