Edgewater Hosts Senator Grassley for Tour and Q&A

Edgewater, a Wesley Active Life retirement community in West Des Moines, recently hosted Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) while Congress is out on August recess.

During his visit, Sen. Grassley toured the Edgewater campus and learned more about the WesleyLife innovative approach to senior living -- which is designed to engage older Iowans in living longer, better.

Kate Westercamp, director of public relations and communications, reported that his visit was 60 minutes packed with excitement, energy and great conversation.

"Senator Grassley had a few personal connections to Edgewater residents which was fun to see their interactions and conversations (one resident had worked overnight shifts as a machinist with the senator while they were in college; another is/was a friend and has flown him around the state). He was very impressed with our vibrant Edgewater community and even requested to see an available apartment," she said.

The first part of Grassley's visit was occupied by a tour of the campus, followed by a 40-minute long Q&A session which centered around LeadingAge's Pathways report and options for financing long-term care. Later questions focused on the hot topic of observation days.

In a statement issued prior to the event, Grassley said: “Representative government is a two-way street. I’m one-half of the process, and Iowans are the other half. Meetings like this question and answer session at Edgewater help me communicate with and hear from constituents about what’s on their minds."

LeadingAge will continue to work with Edgewater and LeadingAge Iowa to maintain the relationship with Grassley and all of Iowa's elected officials.