Tom Nelson

Dressed in a linen suit and barely old enough for membership in an organization for retired people, 50-year-old Robin Campbell listened intently to a top AARP official talk to a group about financial security.

Ms. Campbell wants to return to the work force after several years of being a stay-at-home mom and, like many people her age and older, she worries about the future.

“Purpose is important to me, but I am also concerned about financial security,” Ms. Campbell said at the Chattanooga State Technical Community College forum. “One concern is insurance coverage.”

Tom Nelson, AARP’s chief operating officer, spoke Wednesday during a forum on financial security hosted by AARP. He talked about how the retirement organization for people 50 and over is working to address the issues facing retirees, the biggest of which are health care and their financial futures.

Americans have a new level of fear about financial security, which has been brought on by the rising cost of necessities, he said. A recent study by AARP found Americans are changing their savings for retirement, less able to pay for essentials, such as food and medicine.

“Whether it’s pain at the gas pump or pain at the pharmacy or pressure to make investment decisions that are undermining their long-term financial well-being, our fellow citizens are hurting,” he said.

Mr. Nelson congratulated Tennessee’s General Assembly for passing a long-term care initiative that will give older Tennesseans access to alternatives to nursing homes.

AARP officials have been traveling around the country promoting Divided We Fail, an initiative by AARP, Business Roundtable, Service Employees Union, and National Federation of Independent Business with the goal of ensuring Americans have affordable, quality health care and long-term financial security.

Patrick Willard, AARP’s state advocacy director, talked about a resolution introduced by the General Assembly that could pave the way for a state-managed 401(k) plan called a “State-k.” The State-k plan would enable employees of small businesses — which represent 84 percent of employers in Tennessee — the option to participate in a retirement plan, he said. The idea will be studied this summer and AARP will issue a report in February.

State Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, and Rep. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga were among elected officials at the forum.

Some people, such as Steve Witt, director of the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability, attended the forum hoping to take what they learned to share with others. Mr. Witt said he was especially interested in the sharing the information from the forum with disabled people.

Since the agency does a lot of workshops, information he gathered at the forum could be worked into future programs.