Tara Bahrampour of The Washington Post and Dave Altimari and Jenna Carlesso of the Connecticut Mirror have won the National Press Foundation’s 2023 AARP Awards for Excellence in Journalism on Aging, for the large and small categories, respectively.

NPF judges praised Bahrampour’s work for avoiding stereotyping and “othering” older adults in America. Her reporting dug deep on why some octogenarians still work, Americans over 50 do extreme sports and older trans adults come out.

“In a strong field, this series stood out for an honest look at what aging can be like as seniors push against limitations for fuller lives,” said NPF judges.

Bahrampour accepted the AARP Large Market Award at the National Press Foundation 41st annual dinner Feb. 15, 2024.

Altimari and Carlesso of the Connecticut Mirror won the small/regional media outlet category for their four-part series “Connecticut’s Elder Care Reckoning.”

The series looked at the lack of people and facilities to take care of the state’s aging population, the pressure nursing homes are under and the little oversight the state provides.

The reporters reviewed more than 75 complaints against homemaker companion agencies filed with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection between 2018 and 2020. It revealed cases of workers who were arrested for allegedly stealing from clients, agencies routinely mis-advertising their services and complaints of clients being left alone for hours at a time. Despite that, state officials acknowledged they never denied a homemaker companion agency’s registration and never revoked a registration following an investigation.

Altimari accepted the award for both of them:

The AARP Award was established this year to recognize excellence in reporting on issues related to aging and encourage journalists to cover the challenges and opportunities for people and society in the face of significant demographic trends.

Judges were excited by the volume and quality of entries, and in the small/regional category wished to specially recognize The Marshall Project and NorthJersey.com/USA Today Network NJ with honorable mentions.

• Judges praised The Marshall Project for its “compelling reporting” in “As Police Arrest More Seniors, Those With Dementia Face Deadly Consequences.” The reporting placed attention to the unique risks for people with Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases – what judges foresee as a unique look at what will likely be a growing problem.
• NorthJersey.com’s 12-part series “Aging in New Jersey” explores the realities those in New Jersey will experience as senior citizens soon outweigh the number of children in the state. Judges called it well-written, strong service journalism.