Advocacy

Despite the inclement weather outside, the Iowa State Capitol was turned into a sea of red vests and red hearts this morning as more than 60 AARP Iowa volunteer activists and a large coalition of healthcare advocates from across the state rallied for support of the 2019 Iowa CARE Act (SF 210/HF 340), a common-sense bill to help Iowa’s 317,000 family caregivers. The CARE (Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable) Act was passed earlier this month in the Senate Human Resources Committee and is awaiting the vote of the full Senate. The bill passed a House Subcommittee, led by Rep. Cecil Dolecheck (R-24) earlier today.

Only 22 percent of Des Moines streets are rated in “good condition” by national standards, and the vast majority of city streets are on the verge of requiring major maintenance. This is one of the many data points that city residents will learn about over the next three weeks through an AARP Iowa postcard campaign, set to hit mailboxes today, which highlights how Public Measure “A,” the local option sales tax, will improve the city’s infrastructure.

Legislation would help Iowa’s 317,000 family caregivers

Read our first AARP IOWA e-NEWS - January 2019

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 has a team of trained volunteers who are eager to protect older state residents from scams and fraud.

Voting in the mid-term elections is easy for some people – just a quick walk around the corner or a short drive to the polling station. But for others, it may seem impossible.

AARP Iowa, Latino Political Network (LPN) and county auditors are partnering to inform voters ahead of mid-term election with 5 statewide programs -- Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Mason City and Shenandoah -- during the week of Oct. 15.

Nationwide Campaign Aims to Help Voters Age 50+ Hold Politicians Accountable

Iowa’s primary elections will be Tuesday, June 5, and every statewide office is up for grabs, with contested primaries in each race.