Alissa Brammer

What happens when we design the human habitat to take walking out of daily life? Over 35% of Americans are now clinically obese. That's partly because of diet, but also because cities are now designed for cars. Interested in learning how to build healthier neighborhoods? Join leaders from AARP, Healthy Polk 2020, the City of Des Moines, and the Greater Des Moines Age Friendly Cities Initiative for a presentation by national walkability expert Dan Burden.

I’ve never been a huge fan of fruit pies, but my grandma makes the best apple pie in the universe. Its taste hasn’t changed from how I remember it as a child, and it may be the origin of my love for cinnamon. It’s the apple pie to which I compare all others. This year on July 4 th, I asked my grandma to show me how she makes it.

Downpours, flooding, and the constant threat of a storm wasn’t enough to keep art lovers away from this year’s Des Moines Arts Festival. I attended the fest early this year, donning my AARP shirt on Friday morning to man the booth at opening. Alongside an AARP volunteer named Jan, I helped distributed Fraud Watch information and lead a Milagros craft activity that allowed children to carve designs into colorful squares of aluminum tooling.

Looking for help to better manage a chronic condition or for additional support to help you better assist someone who is dealing with chronic health issues?

In his June 16 guest opinion for the Press-Citizen, heaping praise on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Gross decision on age discrimination and his role in it, Frank Harty misrepresents the law and fails to show an understanding of the harsh impact of this ruling on people’s lives.

This summer, I can add “running coach” to my resume. I love to run, and since attending graduate school, running has served a new purpose for me. It is my meditation, my break from studying, and the fastest way to get a good workout into my busy schedule. Training for races has been a large stabilizing function of my life and helped lay out attainable goals to work toward. Plus, it’s fun to do in groups!

Des Moines – Iowa ranks 13th in the nation when it comes to meeting the long-term care needs of older residents, but AARP warns more must be done to improve choice of long-term care setting and provider and effective transitions. This, according to a new, comprehensive state-by-state Scorecard from AARP with support of the nation’s leading organizations behind quality long-term care, The Commonwealth Fund and SCAN Foundation.

Hi, my name is Claire and I began my internship at the AARP Iowa office two weeks ago. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa then left the state to pursue college and a career. I worked six years as a graphic designer in a variety of industries, but felt as though I needed to switch gears in order to better benefit society through my work. I returned to Iowa for school and for my family, but also because I love the people here and feel a strong sense of community. I am one semester shy of finishing a joint master’s degree in urban planning and public health at the University of Iowa. My interest is in the intersection of community health and city planning, particularly on impacts to aging adults.

With a July 1 nomination deadline approaching, AARP Iowa is encouraging Iowans to take a few minutes to nominate an outstanding 50+ Iowan for the 2014 AARP State Andrus Award for Community Service, making them eligible to receive $1,000 to award to the charity of their choice.

Older Americans Act, Medicare, Age Discrimination, Transportation Safety Top the List of Issues Discussed