Community

By: Gabrielle Wilkosz

AARP Texas is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with events across the state.

AARP Texas will unveil a new community mural Oct. 6, at 1902 S. Lamar St., Dallas, as part of its Livable Communities efforts.

Mark your calendar for a day of live music, food and dancing during the annual “Celebrando con AARP” on Sunday, Oct. 7. Hosted by AARP in San Antonio at Traders Village (9333 S.W. Loop 410), from noon to 6 p.m., the event will cap National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15).

As Hurricane Harvey ravaged Southeast Texas last August, one Texas assisted living facility (ALF) became infamous when a photo of elderly residents sitting in waist-deep water went viral.

Often overlooked when considering the long-term health of older adults, social isolation deserves to be addressed. Today, AARP estimates that 17% of adults age 50 and older suffer from isolation. Isolation is not always talked about but it is an important public health issue that affects millions of Americans.

Communities across Texas are working each and every day to become more livable for residents of all ages.

By Thomas Korosec

June is National Great Outdoors Month, a time for observing nature and enjoying our surrounding environments. Beginning as a week-long celebration of nature, we now nationally recognize the beautiful countryside, forests and parks of the United States for the entire month of June. This recognition promotes the splendor of our great outdoors and highlights the labors of those who work to preserve nature in our modern world. It raises the awareness of national policies on nature conservation by highlighting the beauty and health benefits of the natural environment.

As a passenger on Austin’s Capital Metro buses, I had seen my share of AARP ads: smiling faces and discount offers for people age 50 and over.