Jeremy Barewin

As we enter the holiday season, once again it pays to be vigilant to avoid scams or slip-ups that could put a damper on your celebrations. Here are some ways to keep your holidays happy:

AARP Iowa has released the results of a statewide caregiving survey showing that 96 percent of current family caregivers in Iowa believe it is ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important that they receive instruction on medical tasks they need to provide for their loved one at home upon being discharged from the hospital. The survey of 800 registered voters age 40+ across the state also showed that Iowans are overwhelmingly in support of three measures in the Iowa CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable) Act, which outlines commonsense steps to help Iowa’s more than 317,000 family caregivers when their loved one goes into the hospital and as they transition home.

AARP Iowa is taking its show on the road over the next two weeks to talk about caregiving issues with Iowans across the state ahead of the 2019 Iowa legislative session, which is set to begin on January 14. One of the big issues up for discussion is the Iowa CARE Act, which outlines commonsense steps to help Iowa’s more than 317,000 family caregivers when their loved one goes into the hospital and as they transition home. In addition, AARP Iowa will discuss findings from a soon-to-be-released statewide caregiver survey.

Lately, scammers have been spoofing phone numbers of banks, doctor's offices and other official agencies. Spoofing means that a scammer's phone number will show up on your caller ID as an official number. Scammers have been doing this with the 1-800 number for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to try and collect vital personal information from people in order to steal their identities.

Scammers have come up with tactics that specifically target Veterans. AARP wants to make sure you and the loved ones in your life have the resources to protect yourselves from the following scams.

On Monday evening, the Des Moines City Council unanimously approved MoveDSM, the first citywide comprehensive transportation planning effort, establishing a multi-modal vision for transportation in Des Moines over the next 25 years. AARP Iowa, the American Heart Association (AHA), and Des Moines Public Schools—who have worked together in recent months to urge passage of Move DSM—applaud the City Council for passing the plan, which identifies how transportation supports the City’s goals for safety, quality of life, and economic development.

On Friday, November 16, AARP Iowa hosted a tele-town hall about Medicare changes for 2019, including new Medicare cards. The conversation was led by experts from the Iowa Insurance Division’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program ( SHIIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol in Des Moines, Kris Gross and Patty Price. The hour-long call addressed questions and issues specific to those who are either enrolled in Medicare or know someone who is.

Few things can be more annoying than answering the phone when you’re in the middle of something and then having the “person” on the line be another robot telemarketer telling you that someone has "stolen your credit card information." Unfortunately, these illegal telemarketing calls have our phones ringing more than ever and they’re costing victims of scammers millions of dollars each year.

Barbara McClintock of Des Moines was named the 2018 winner of the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service which is AARP’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award. The award was presented to McClintock at AARP Iowa’s annual volunteer recognition event in Des Moines on Nov. 8. In addition to the award, McClintock received a check for $1,000 to donate to her charity of choice, Aging Resources of Central Iowa.

Just AARP for these fun holiday festivals in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids areas.